ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Electricity Generation

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on how many occasions the level of fine imposed by Ofgem on an energy distribution company for its failure to deliver on output efficiency has been reduced on appeal in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010, (d) 2011 and (e) 2012 to date.

John Hayes: Enforcement of compliance with the relevant legislations, which apply to energy distribution companies, is a matter for the independent regulator Ofgem. None of its decisions to fine an energy distribution company for its failure to deliver or output efficiency have been reduced on appeal.

Energy: Prices

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what policies and initiatives his Department introduced to (a) reduce the cost of consumer energy bills, (b) limit the volatility of consumer energy bills and (c) encourage new entrants into the domestic retail energy market between 3 July 2008 and 11 May 2010.

Gregory Barker: Between 3 July 2008 and 11 May 2010 my Department maintained and introduced a range of policies and initiatives to reduce the cost of energy bills, limit the volatility of consumer energy bills, and encourage new entrants into the domestic retail energy market: These include:
	A voluntary agreement with the six largest energy suppliers to provide support worth £375 million to vulnerable consumers between April 2008 and March 2011. This agreement was monitored by Ofgem and it produced a series of reports on suppliers' spending to assist vulnerable consumers which are available via the following link:
	http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Sustainability/SocAction/Suppliers/CSR/Pages/CSR.aspx
	Provisions in the Energy Act 2010 to enable the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), to make schemes for the purposes of reducing fuel poverty by requiring energy suppliers to provide households with support, including in the form of energy bill reductions;
	Publishing an assessment of the energy market that set out a range of options for reforming the electricity market:
	.pdf
	Exempted new entrants and small suppliers from participation in CERT and CESP.

Energy: Prices

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what investigations were (a) ordered and (b) begun by his Department into the pricing policies of the Big Six energy companies between 3 July 2008 and 11 May 2010.

John Hayes: In the first instance it would be for Ofgem as the independent regulator of the gas and electricity markets to decide whether an investigation into the pricing policies of large suppliers was necessary.
	Under the Enterprise Act 2002, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), can make a Market Investigation Reference to the Competition Commission in two situations. The first is if he is unsatisfied with a decision by the regulator not to refer the matter. The second is where, after providing the regulator with information, he is not satisfied that a decision on whether or not to refer will be made within a reasonable time.
	During this period no Market Investigation References were made to the Competition Commission.

Nuclear Reactors

Andrew Bingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he intends to publish his Department's response to Kirk Sorensen's comments in the National Nuclear Laboratory report on the use of molten salt and thorium reactors.

John Hayes: I understand that Kirk Sorensen provided review comments to the National Nuclear Laboratory on reports covering advanced nuclear reactor systems. As his commentary was provided for the National Nuclear Laboratory's consideration, and not for DECC's, the Department has not responded to them.

Warm Home Discount Scheme

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will estimate the number of families with children under five years old who do not receive the warm home discount.

Gregory Barker: Warm Home Discount Scheme Broader Group schemes offered by participating suppliers include an offer for groups such as low-income families and those with long-term illnesses and disabilities. All six participating suppliers (British Gas, EDF, E.ON, npower, Scottish Power and SSE) have eligibility criteria in their Broader Schemes targeted at low-income families with children aged under five.
	Suppliers provided a total of 234,297 Broader Group discounts worth £120 each, equating to £28.1 million of support in 2011-12, and we expect at least 364,000 households to benefit from the Broader Group in 2012-13, receiving discounts of £130.
	However, energy suppliers are not required to provide a breakdown of the eligibility criteria under which each household successfully received the discount. As a result we cannot calculate how many households received the discount as a result of being a low-income family with children aged under five or, therefore, those which did not.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Confiscation Orders

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Attorney-General how many confiscation orders have been granted to the Serious Fraud Office in the last five years; how much such orders were intended to recover; and how much they have recovered.

Oliver Heald: From 1 April 2008 to 17 October 2012, the Serious Fraud Office obtained 67 confiscation orders with a combined value of £73,974,947. During the same period a combined sum of £13,371,993 has been collected in satisfaction of confiscation orders. It is not possible to correlate directly the sums ordered and collected, because as the orders may be subject to appeals or can often provide time to pay, which results in payments being made after a substantial delay or not yet falling due.

Corruption

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Attorney-General what assessment he has made of the Serious Fraud Office's performance in recent years in prosecuting cases of overseas corruption by British companies.

Dominic Grieve: The SFO is committed to tackling the most complex and serious crimes involving fraud, bribery and corruption. Offences committed prior to the introduction of the Bribery Act 2010 require my consent to prosecution and I am kept informed of progress. The director provides regular briefings to me about his current cases. He has recently restated his policy in relation to the Bribery Act and this can be found at:
	http://www.sfo.gov.uk/bribery--corruption/self-reporting-corruption.aspx

Fraud

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Attorney-General what recent steps he has taken to ensure that the Serious Fraud Office's investigations and prosecutions of serious and complex fraud are adequately resourced.

Dominic Grieve: The Prime Minister has previously made clear that if the Serious Fraud Office needs more resources, it will be provided with them. We continue to keep this under review.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Electoral Register

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what steps the Electoral Commission is taking to increase voter registration for the elections on 15 November 2012; and what steps the Commission is taking to ensure that students are registered to vote.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission is running a public awareness campaign ahead of the elections on 15 November. The campaign will include an information booklet with details of the registration deadline and how to register to vote, which will be sent to every household in areas where the elections are taking place. This will be supported by TV, radio, press and online advertising.
	The campaign will be aimed at the general public but will also target specific audiences by, for example, using Facebook to reach younger people and students.
	The Commission has also provided guidance and set standards for awareness to be raised locally by those running the elections. An important element of this is raising awareness of the registration deadline and the Commission has provided a range of resources to electoral registration officers to help them do this, including template posters, press adverts and press releases.

Police and Crime Commissioners: Elections

Steven Baker: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what steps the Electoral Commission is taking to ensure that the electorate is better informed about the Police and Crime Commissioner elections in November.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission is running a public awareness campaign ahead of the elections on 15 November. The campaign includes an information booklet, which will be sent to every household in areas where the elections are taking place. This booklet includes details on the role of the Police and Crime Commissioner, the date of the election, how to fill in the ballot paper and information on how to register to vote and apply for a postal or proxy vote. This is being supported by TV, radio, press and online advertising.
	The Commission has also provided guidance and set standards as to how awareness should be raised locally by those running the elections. It has also provided a range of resources to help raise awareness of the elections, including template posters, press adverts and press releases.
	The Commission has already begun collecting information on how public awareness activity is being delivered by police area returning officers (PAROs) and will continue to monitor the performance of PAROs against the standards in the run-up to polling day.

PRIME MINISTER

Jimmy Savile

Frank Dobson: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  who nominated Jimmy Savile for a knighthood;
	(2)  whether Jimmy Savile was vetted before being nominated for a knighthood.

David Cameron: It has been the practice of successive Governments not to comment on individual honours cases.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Asylum: Greece

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her assessment is of the extent of progress by the Greek Government in implementing its National Action Plan for Managed Migration and Asylum Reform; and when she expects to be able to resume Dublin's regulation returns of asylum seekers from the UK to Greece.

Mark Harper: The Government continue to work with European partners, including the European Asylum Support Office, to monitor and support the implementation of the Greek National Action Plan for Managed Migration and Asylum Reform. Some encouraging progress has been made, including establishing the legal framework for a new Asylum Service, Appeals Authority and Initial Reception Service. However, there is still much to be done and the UK continues to press the Greek Government to complete the reforms needed to meet their European and international obligations as quickly as possible.
	The return of asylum seekers under the Dublin Regulation (EC) No. 343/2003 will not resume until it can be demonstrated that the Greek asylum system meets the requirements set by the European Court of Human Rights in MSS v. Belgium and Greece (21 January 2011) and the Court of Justice of the European Union in NS and others (21 December 2011).

Atos

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2012, Official Report, column 862W, on Atos, whether she has made an estimate of the level of profit Atos will make from each contract; and what the likely level of profit is for each.

Mark Harper: The Home Office cannot disclose the estimated profit from its contract with Atos as the release of this information would prejudice commercial interests.

Burglary: Greater Manchester

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of burglaries in (a) Tameside and (b) Stockport local authority areas in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking for estimates on the number of burglaries in (a) Tameside and (b) Stockport local authority areas in the latest period for which figures are available. (124556)
	While the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) is the preferred measure of burglary as it includes crimes not reported to the police, and is unaffected by changes in police recoding practices, CSEW data are not available at the focal authority level. Burglary figures for local authority areas are available based on the number of crimes recorded by the police. The latest period for which data on police recorded burglaries by local authority are available is 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012. Police recorded crime data is supplied by the 43 territorial police forces of England and Wales, plus the British Transport Police.
	In Tameside local authority there were 1,303 burglaries in a dwelling and 1,023 burglaries in a building other than a dwelling, making a total of 2,326 burglaries recorded during this time period.
	In Stockport local authority there were 1,310 burglaries in a dwelling and 1,716 burglaries in a building other than a dwelling, making a total of 3,026 burglaries recorded during this time period.

Counter-terrorism

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) officers and (b) other staff in the Metropolitan police were working directly on implementing the National Counter-Terrorism Strategy on 30 September (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 18 October 2012
	The Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime does not publish the number of officers or staff working directly on counter-terrorism, for reasons of national security.

Crime

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 11 September 2011, Official Report, column 126W, on crime, if she will make an assessment of the implication for her policies of research conducted by Professor Nick Bayliss into fantasising in the criminal justice system; and if she will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: The Home Office constantly monitors a range of academic research on crime, criminal justice and wider social issues, to ensure that new Home Office policy takes account of any significant developments in the evidence base. There are no current plans to look specifically at the work of Professor Bayliss.

Crimes of Violence

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many incidents of actual bodily harm were reported in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many incidents of grievous bodily harm were reported in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking for levels of particular offences over the last five years. (124086 & 124090)
	The table shows the number of incidents recorded by the police in England and Wales for each of the offence types in question, from 2007/08 to 2011/12. These data are published each quarter, with the latest figures available from Table A4 within ‘Crime Statistics: Appendix tables - Crime in England and Wales, year ending June 2012'. The table includes the latest period for completeness, and gives the codes of the individual offences that make up each group, as used in Table A4.
	The data provided in the table cover England and Wales only. Crime figures for Scotland are published at:
	http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Justice
	and data for Northern Ireland are published at:
	http://www.psni.police.uk/index/updates/updates_statistics/update_crime_statistics.htm
	
		
			 Police recorded crime for selected offences, 2007-08 to 2011-12, England and Wales 
			 Offence 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 12 months to June 2012 
			 GBH(1) — 40,206 39,501 34,789 32,355 23,691 
			 ABH(2) — 378,176 359,483 331,448 303,909 223,867 
			 Rape(3,4) 12,673 13,096 15,074 15,892 16,043 15,669 
			 Robbery(5) 84,773 80,130 75,105 76,189 74,689 71,444 
			 Theft from a Vehicle(6) 432,412 396,976 339,170 313,467 300,378 293,666 
			 (1) Current GBH classifications were introduced from 1 April 2008 and replaced an earlier classification. This group of offences includes offences 5A, 8F, 8H. It therefore includes endangering life and racially or religiously aggravated inflicting GBH as well as GBH with intent, though GBH with intent is the major part of this category. (2) This group covers offences 8G and 8J. Current ABH classifications were introduced from 1 April 2008 and replaced an earlier classification. This group of offences includes racially or religiously aggravated inflicting ABH. (3) This group covers offences 19A-19H, covering rapes of males and females of all ages. (4) Prior to 2009-10, a small number of offences continued to be recorded relating to offences repealed by the Sexual Offences Act 2003. While these may have been legitimately recorded for offences committed prior to May 2004 it is also possible that some may have been recorded in these old categories in error, so any changes based on small numbers should be interpreted with caution. (5) This group includes offences 34A and 34B, covering robberies of business and personal property. (6) This offence has a code of 45.

Deportation

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what average number of escorts is needed per flight to return a foreign national criminal or failed asylum seeker; and what the maximum number needed is.

Mark Harper: The UK Border Agency assesses the need for escorts on a case by case basis. The majority of individuals removed from the UK will not require escorts due to their level of compliance with the removal process. Where escorts are required the number of escorts will be assessed according to the individual circumstances of the case.
	The data requested on the average number of escorts are not available from published statistics and are not recorded on the UK Border Agency's Case Information Database. Examination of individual records would be required at disproportionate cost.

Deportation: Offenders

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign national offenders from the EU have been subject to a deportation order in each of the last five years.

Mark Harper: The number of foreign national offenders (FNOs) from the European Economic Area (EEA) who have been removed in each of the last five years is:
	In 2007: 504
	In 2008: 647
	In 2009: 774
	In 2010: 908
	In 2011: 1,148
	The UK Border Agency is unable to provide the information requested because the number of FNOs from the EEA who are subject to a deportation order is not routinely recorded on an annual basis.
	This is internal management information and is subject to change.

Emergencies: Hazardous Substances

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues on the total deployable mobile decontamination capacity available for homeland security in the event of a domestic chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear incident from (a) the armed forces, (b) the police, (c) the NHS Hazardous Area Response teams and (d) any other source or organisation; and what the total deployable capacity is of each.

James Brokenshire: For reasons of national security we are unable to provide specific details of total deployable decontamination capability across the UK.
	The Department of Health is responsible for decontamination processes in the event of a domestic Chemical, Biological, Radiological or Nuclear (CBRN) incident and is supported by the fire and rescue services, which provide mass decontamination assets. The police are not responsible for decontamination and therefore do not have a deployable capability, but facilitate crowd management and security at the scene.
	Defence can provide a mobile CBRN decontamination capability to the civil powers under standing military aid to the civil authority (MACA) arrangements, however, the emergency services are the recognised primary responders in the event of a CBRN incident in the UK.
	My officials regularly review CBRN response capability with officials across Government to ensure that the UK's capability is in line with National Risk Assessment Planning Assumptions.

English Defence League: Rotherham

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost was of policing the English Defence League march and rally in Rotherham on 13 October 2012.

Damian Green: We have not received an application from South Yorkshire Police Authority for assistance with the cost of policing the recent English Defence League march and rally in Rotherham. As such, we do not have this information.

Essex Police Authority

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was repaid by the former Chairman of Essex Police Authority, Councillor Robert Chambers, in misclaimed expenses in 2012; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: That is a matter for Essex Police Authority.

Essex Police Authority

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if she will place in the Library a copy of the Metropolitan police report on the expenses claims of the former Chairman of Essex Police Authority; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  if she will place in the Library a copy of the recent Metropolitan Police report on expenses paid to some members of Essex Police Authority; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: My hon. Friend should contact the Metropolitan police regarding this matter.

Extradition

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many British citizens were (a) extradited from and (b) deported to the UK from (i) the United States of America, (ii) Australia, (iii) Pakistan, (iv) India and (v) Jamaica in each year from 2004 to date.

Mark Harper: holding answer 17 October 2012
	Information regarding the nationality of those extradited to the UK has not in the past been routinely recorded.
	The nationality of those extradited from the United States to the United Kingdom has been recorded since April 2007. Routine records of the nationality of those extradited from all other countries have been kept since 2011.
	The following table provides the figures requested where these are known. Obtaining information from 2004 would incur disproportionate costs.
	Please note that “n/k” indicates there were extraditions from the specific country in that year, but the nationality of the person(s) is not known. Zero indicates that there were no extraditions from the specific country in that year.
	For the purposes of the question, the extradition data apply to England and Wales. Scotland deals with its own extradition cases—as did Northern Ireland until 1 April 2008.
	The Home Office does not hold information on the number of British citizens deported. The figures for these have been provided by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). The FCO advises that it only holds limited information which goes back to 2008 and only includes details of cases that have been reported to FCO consular services, and so may be lower than actual numbers.
	
		
			  Number of British citizens extradited to the UK from 
			  the USA Australia Pakistan India Jamaica 
			 2007 (from April) (2)2 n/k 0 n/k n/k 
			 2008 4 n/k 0 0 0 
			 2009 4 n/k 0 n/k n/k 
			 2010 2 n/k 0 0 0 
			 2011 (3)2 2 0 0 0 
			 2012(1) 3 (3)2 0 0 0 
			 Totals (4)17 (4)4 0 n/k n/k 
			 (1 )Figures for 2012 are up to 30 September 2012 for both deportations and extraditions. (2) Known. (3 )Including one dual national. (4) Where known. 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of British citizens deported to the UK from 
			  the USA Australia Pakistan India Jamaica 
			 2008 77 7 0 0 0 
			 2009 152 0 0 0 0 
			 2010 204 6 0 3 1 
			 2011 187 5 0 0 4 
			 2012(1) 149 6 0 0 2 
			 Totals 769 24 0 3 7 
			 (1) Figures for 2012 are up to 30 September 2012 for both deportations and extraditions.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many nationals of other EU countries have been banned, including on a temporary basis, from entering the UK after being told to leave, or being removed from, the UK on the grounds that they no longer fulfil the criteria for the right to residence under Chapter III of European Directive 2004/38/EC on the right of citizens of the EU and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of EU member states in each year since 2007.

Mark Harper: The UK Border Agency does not hold the information requested. EEA nationals who cease to have a right to reside under the terms of Directive 2004/38/EC may be administratively removed from the UK or refused entry. An administrative removal made on this basis does not preclude re-entry at a later date.

Licensing Act 2003

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to review the requirements of the Licensing Act 2003 relating to noise conditions and guidance to councils.

Jeremy Browne: The Licensing Act 2003 enables licensing authorities to attach conditions to a premises licence or club premises certificate where appropriate for the promotion of the licensing objectives. One of the four licensing objectives is “the prevention of public nuisance” which would include noise nuisance. Specific guidance on noise in the context of public nuisance is contained in the guidance issued under section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003. There are no plans to revise this section of the guidance.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to reply to the letter dated 5 September 2012 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton (Sir Gerald Kaufman) with regard to Ms J Smith.

Mark Harper: I wrote to the right hon. Gentleman on 18 October 2012.

Offences against Children

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding she will make available to investigate the relationship between viewing images of child abuse online and child abuse.

Jeremy Browne: Investigating reports of offenders viewing indecent images online, linked to contact child abuse, is one of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection's (CEOP's) top priorities. In June this year CEOP published a thematic assessment on this issue, titled “A Picture of Abuse”.
	CEOP's operational work is complemented by operations in police forces. For example, a CEOP-led operation, Operation Tharsley, in June this year involved over 40 police forces and led to 104 arrests and 96 safeguarding interventions in two days.
	The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP), which will become a command of the National Crime Agency (NCA), currently has a dedicated budget of £6.384 million per annum.

Offences against Children

Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been arrested for under-age sex in the last five years.

Jeremy Browne: holding answer 22 October 2012
	The information requested is not collected centrally.
	Data on arrests are reported to the Home Office on the basis of aggregated-offence groupings, such as violence against the person and sexual offences. From these centrally reported groupings, it is not possible to separately identify arrests for specific offences.

Police and Crime Commissioners

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of additional costs incurred by returning officers in Wales due to the time taken to lay the Police and Crime Commissioner Elections (Welsh Forms) Order 2012 before Parliament.

Damian Green: The Home Office has agreed to meet the costs of any reasonable contingency measures that returning officers take. We expect the cost of printing additional ballot papers or notices to cost no more than £350,000. As we have previously stated, we do not expect the election to cost more than £75 million and these additional costs can be met from within this figure.

Police and Crime Commissioners: Wales

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the printing of additional English-only ballot papers for the Police and Crime Commissioner elections in Wales will cost.

Damian Green: The Home Office has agreed to meet the costs of any reasonable contingency measures that returning officers take. We expect the cost of printing additional ballot papers or notices to cost no more than £350,000. As we have previously stated, we do not expect the election to cost more than £75 million and these additional costs can be met from within this figure.

Police Community Support Officers

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provision she has made for the funding of police community support officers in 2013; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: holding answer 22 October 2012
	The Neighbourhood Policing Fund (NPF), which currently contributes to funding police community support officers (PCSOs), has been ring-fenced until March 2013. The Government are committed to greater local accountability and to decision-making based on local needs. For this reason, from April 2013, the funding will be consolidated into the police main grant. It will then be for democratically elected Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs), in conjunction with their chief constables, to take decisions on the funding and resourcing of neighbourhood policing and PCSOs.

Police Community Support Officers: Lancashire

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding her Department has allocated to Lancashire police for police community support officers; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: holding answer 22 October 2012
	Lancashire police was allocated £8,163,138 through the Home Office Neighbourhood Policing Fund in 2012-13, to fund police community support officers (PCSOs).

Police: Early Retirement

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers aged 60 years and under took early retirement in each of the last five years.

Damian Green: From the centrally available information it is not possible to determine the age of the police officer at the time of retirement. As well as normal retirement data, information is also collected on medical retirement that occurs early or after 30 years service. The number of police officers who have taken medical retirement (after less than 30 years service and after 30 years service or more) and the number of normal retirements (full-time equivalent) for the past five years are given in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of police officers who have taken medical retirements after less than 30 years service and after 30 years service or more and the number of normal retirements, 2007-08 to 2011-12(1,2) 
			  Medical retirements—after less than 30 years service Medical retirements—after 30 years service or more Normal retirements 
			 2007-08 288 19 3,689 
			 2008-09 215 39 3,930 
			 2009-10 270 21 3,895 
			 2010-11 330 17 4,300 
			 2011-12 494 18 4,696 
			 (1) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. (2) Figures are provisional and have not been verified by police forces.

Police: Essex

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent by Essex police on expenses in each of the last five years for which information is available; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: This information is not held centrally and is a matter for Essex police authority.

Police: Essex

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent reports she has received on the morale of officers in Essex Police; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: Home Office Ministers regularly receive correspondence from Members of Parliament and members of the public in Essex, including police officers, which express the concerns of police officers. Members of the Government at all levels have had, and continue to have, meetings with the police service as part of the day-to-day business of Government. As a consequence, the Government are very aware of and do not underestimate the strength of feeling among police officers nationally and in Essex at the moment. The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), myself and officials regularly meet with representatives of the Police Federation, Police Superintendents' Association and members of the Association of Chief Police Officers, which represent all police forces, including Essex Police, to discuss a wide range of issues.
	We will continue to engage with police officers and staff to ensure that their opinions help to shape future policing policies at this time of significant change. We are also looking at ways in which we can ensure greater input from officers of all ranks on policing matters.

Police: Finance

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to review the floors and ceilings damping Police Service funding mechanism.

Damian Green: The Home Office recently conducted an informal consultation on future damping arrangements. I will carefully consider all responses to the consultation before taking a decision on damping levels over the last two years of this spending review period and beyond.

Police: ICT

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress she has made in appointing 12 directors for the police IT company; and which directors have been appointed.

Damian Green: 12 Directors for the Police ICT Company Ltd have been appointed, and they are:
	Helen Kilpatrick (Acting Permanent Secretary, Home Office)
	Millie Banerjee (Chair of British Transport Police Authority)
	Simon Duckworth (Deputy Chair of City of London Police Authority)
	Cllr Paul Murphy (Chair of Greater Manchester Police Authority)
	Cllr Diana Holl-Allen (Chair of West Midlands Police Authority)
	David Riddle (Chair of Ministry of Defence Police Committee)
	Stephen Greenhalgh (Deputy Mayor for Crime and Policing, Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime)
	Stephen Webb (Director of Finance and Strategy, Crime and Policing Group, Home Office)
	Simon Parr (Chief Constable, Cambridgeshire Police and Chair of Operational Requirements Board)
	Ailsa Beaton (Director of Information, Metropolitan Police and Chair of ACPO Information Management Business Area)
	Nick Gargan (on secondment to Her Majesty's Inspectorate Constabulary from Home Office)
	Malcolm Cornberg (Director, SOCA)

Police: ICT

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects the Police ICT Company Ltd to transfer to Police and Crime Commissioner ownership.

Damian Green: It is for Police and Crime Commissioners to determine the timing of the transfer of ownership of the Police ICT Company Ltd.

Vetting

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) target and (b) average time taken is to complete a Criminal Records Bureau check from when the completed form is received.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 17 October 2012
	The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) aims to process 90% of all enhanced checks within 28 days of receipt of a fully completed application form and 95% of standard checks within 10 days. The CRB has exceeded its performance targets since December 2010.
	During the financial year 2011-12 the CRB averaged an end-to-end turnaround time of 12 days for enhanced CRB checks and five days for standard CRB checks.

TRANSPORT

Bus Services: Bristol

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on Greater Bristol authorities using allocation funding meant for other non-bus rapid transit schemes if one of its bus rapid transit schemes failed.

Norman Baker: Funding approval was provided for three bus rapid transit schemes within the West of England Partnership Area as part of the development pool process last year. These are:
	BRT Ashton Vale to Temple Meads;
	BRT North Fringe to Hengrove;
	South Bristol Link.
	The funding for these three schemes, which is subject to satisfactory completion of any remaining statutory procedures, is to be provided to build these schemes only and cannot be vired without departmental agreement.
	As part of the Bristol City Deal we agreed that we would allow the local authorities promoting these schemes programme and financial flexibility so that if one of the three projects is delivered with a cost saving they can reallocate the saving to one of the other two schemes to meet any cost increases.

East Coast Railway Line

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department has received in premium payments from Directly Operated Rail from its operations on the East Coast Main Line since it took over such operations.

Norman Baker: The Department has received a total of £484.5 million to date in premium payments from East Coast Main Line Company Limited.

Electric Vehicles

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research he has (a) undertaken and (b) plans to undertake on the effects on deaf and blind persons of plug-in electric and hybrid electric vehicles when operating in electric mode; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Baker: This issue is being addressed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). To support discussions at both UNECE and with the European Commission, the Department for Transport undertook research into the possible risks posed by electric and hybrid electric vehicles to the safety of vulnerable road pedestrians and other road users. Although the research found no current evidence of a higher accident rate for these vehicles, a panel of visually impaired subjects did find that detecting the approach of a hybrid vehicle operating in electric mode at speeds below 20 km/h (12 mph) was harder, on average, than detecting the approach of conventional vehicles with whose sounds they were familiar. The full reports on that work may be found on the Department's website.

Electric Vehicles

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with the motor industry about establishing a minimum level of noise for plug-in electric and hybrid electric vehicles when operating in electric mode; what responses he has received from the industry; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Baker: I am aware of the concern this issue causes to some people. Like many of my ministerial colleagues, I have meetings with the motor industry on a variety of issues. However, I have not yet had any specific meetings to discuss this issue with regard to plug-in electric and hybrid electric vehicles.

Electric Vehicles

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward proposals to establish a minimum level of noise for plug-in electric and hybrid electric vehicles when operating in electric mode; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Baker: We have no plans at present to do so. This issue is being addressed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the European Commission have recently published a proposed regulation on vehicle noise, and that proposal includes a requirement that, if manufacturers choose to add noise to electric or hybrid vehicles, then the noise added should meet certain harmonised standards. This proposal is currently the subject of discussion and negotiation at a European level. A final text is likely to be published during 2013.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what legislative options his Department is considering to expedite legislative proposals on HS2.

Simon Burns: The Department for Transport is not currently considering any additional legislation to expedite the passage of the proposed HS2 Bill.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the cost of High Speed 2 per mile; and what comparative assessment he has made of the cost per mile with high- speed rail projects abroad.

Simon Burns: The cost per mile based on the Cost and Risk Model published in January 2012 would fall into the range of £88 million to £102 million per mile; this is comparable with HS1.
	The estimated per mile rate for HS2 is currently higher than European comparators, and the potential causes of the variation have been identified. HS2 Ltd is continuing to drive efficiencies into the Phase 1 scheme through the current design development phase through detailed value engineering and challenge process. HS2 Ltd is working with IUK and through an Industry Efficiency Working Group looking at how to further reduce costs including learning lessons from comparable projects elsewhere round the world.
	IUK is the Infrastructure UK Treasury Group.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much he expects to be spent on preparatory work for High Speed 2; and whether there are any Barnett consequentials arising from that expenditure.

Simon Burns: For the period 2012-13 to 2014-15 the Department has allocated a budget of £527 million to High Speed 2 Ltd. This budget includes work on the hybrid Bill for the London to Birmingham phase, as well as preparatory work on the second section of the high speed rail network. When detailed budgeting and funding arrangements in relation to the HS2 project are decided in future spending reviews, any Barnett consequentials will be allocated in the normal way.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the case for a twin-track link between High Speed 1 and High Speed 2 (HS2), providing long-term capacity for HS2 and enabling high-speed domestic services between the regions; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The options for linking HS2 with HS1 are discussed in HS2 Ltd's report, “High Speed Rail London to the West Midlands and Beyond”, published in March 2010. Further work was carried out and is detailed in the documents, “Review of HS1 to HS2 Connection Final Report” and “High Speed Rail London to the West Midlands and Beyond Supplementary Report”, both published in December 2010. All three documents were placed in the Library of the House.

Motor Vehicles: Insurance

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the recommendations of the European Commission's Project Veronica study on black boxes for cars.

Stephen Hammond: The Veronica reports were wide- ranging and highlighted a number of issues that need careful consideration before formulating detailed policy. The Government have no plans to take forward the recommendations at present though we will continue to monitor developments in this area and to liaise with the European Commission and member states as needed.

Staff

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the rate of staff turnover was in each SCS grade in his Department in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Norman Baker: The rate of turnover in each SCS grade in the Department for Transport for the last 4 years is shown in the table below:
	
		
			  2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 
			 SCSI 16.74% 6.78% 26.43% 16.24% 
			 SCS2 25.53% 4.44% 34.15% 11.76% 
			 SCS3 18.18% 36.36% 50.00% 25.00% 
		
	
	The Department does not hold turnover information for 2007/08.

Staff

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many SCS grade staff were employed in his Department in May (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Norman Baker: The number of SCS grade staff employed by the Department for Transport in May (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012 is shown in the table below:
	
		
			 Year Number of Staff 
			 2010 202 
			 2011 169 
			 2012 165

Staff

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff of his Department were employed in the (a) rail division, (b) procurement division and (c) Finance Department of his Department in May (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012.

Simon Burns: The numbers of full-time equivalent permanent staff involved in Rail, Procurement or Finance in the Department for Transport (Centre) are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  May 2010 May 2011 May 2012 
			 Rail 215.4 180.6 167.9 
			 Procurement 46.4 36.4 34.3 
			 Finance (1)119.9 (1)113.6 103.0 
			 (1) Figures at March 2010 and March 2011. 
		
	
	The figures for Procurement and Finance represent all the staff identified as working in those areas across Department for Transport (Centre). The Rail figures exclude Rail staff working on Procurement or Finance to to avoid double counting. Staff in the General Counsel's Office (Legal) working on rail-related issues are not included.

West Coast Railway Line: Fares

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the maximum increase in percentage points above inflation is for regulated rail fares that the new operator of the West Coast Main Line franchise will be able to charge in each year of the new franchise.

Simon Burns: I refer the hon. Lady to the Department for Transport's announcement on 7 October, which confirmed that from January 2013 onwards the regulated fares cap for all franchised train operators, including all West Coast Mainline franchised train operators, will increase by RPI+1%.

West Coast Railway Line: Franchises

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the process of selection was by which his Department selected (a) Eversheds LLP, (b) WS Atkins and (c) PWC to carry out the work they undertook for his Department in respect of the intercity west coast franchise competition.

Simon Burns: Eversheds LLP and WS Atkins were selected by the Department to provide legal and technical support for the intercity west coast competition through a competition using separate, competitively procured framework contracts. PWC was brought in to support the detailed preparation for the judicial review of the intercity west coast franchise competition. It were instructed by Eversheds, which was acting for the Department as legal advisers for the Judicial Review. PWC began fieldwork on 24 September and reported by 2 October.

West Coast Railway Line: Franchises

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the level of public subsidy was for each year of the West Coast Mainline franchise when operated by Virgin Trains; what the level was of fare- box revenue in each year of that franchise when operated by Virgin Trains; and what the at-risk investment was from Virgin Trains for the duration of that franchise.

Simon Burns: All of this information will be contained in Virgin Rail Group's statutory accounts, which can be obtained from Companies House at:
	http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk

West Coast Railway Line: Franchises

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information his Department holds on whether any of the consultants used by his Department for the West Coast Mainline franchise competition limit their maximum liability on professional indemnity insurance.

Simon Burns: The Department holds the original of each contract for the provision of advice in connection with the West Coast Mainline franchise competition. Each contains liability, indemnity and insurance provisions.
	The contracts for technical and for legal advice were both competed using pre-competed frameworks. Both used Government Procurement Service standard terms and conditions.
	The standard terms and conditions contain a range of provisions relating to liability, indemnity and insurance.
	The Technical Adviser terms and conditions set the annual aggregate liability of either party for defaults at £10 million and require that the contractor maintain professional indemnity insurance of not less than £5 million for each individual claim.
	The Legal Adviser standard terms and conditions do not set a cap on the liability for defaults. The standard terms and conditions contain provision requiring the contractor to maintain professional indemnity insurance with a minimum level of £100 million.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Council Housing

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will commission a survey of local authorities to ascertain which councils have asked housing applicants to move to another local authority; and how many households were affected between January and August 2012.

Mark Prisk: We collect and publish official statutory homelessness statistics on a quarterly basis. A table has been placed in the Library of the House, showing the number of homeless households from each local authority in England placed in temporary accommodation in another local authority district as at (a) 31 March 2012, (b) 30 June 2012 (the latest available figures).
	The law makes it clear that local authorities must secure accommodation within their own borough so far as reasonably practicable. The Government want to go further on this and have recently consulted on how best to strengthen requirements in relation to location and suitability when local authorities secure accommodation for the use of households owed duties under the homelessness legislation.
	Statistical releases on Statutory Homelessness are available both in the Library of the House and via the DCLG website:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/homelessnessstatistics/publicationshomelessness/

Emergencies: Sportsgrounds

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on how many occasions inspections of preparedness for an emergency have taken place at football stadiums with a capacity of 35,000 or more in each of the last three years; how many such inspections he expects to take place in 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
	We do not hold records relating to inspections of preparedness for an emergency taking place at sports grounds. While the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is responsible for the Safety of Sports Grounds legislation, responsibility for certifying and regulating those sports grounds is primarily a matter for individual local authorities.
	The Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds, written by the Sports Grounds Safety Authority and published by the Department, includes guidance on the importance of regular and detailed inspections and tests, as a necessary and important function of safety management. The guide can be found at the following link:
	http://safetyatsportsgrounds.org.uk/pdf/GuidetoSafetyatSportsGrounds.pdf

Fire services

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to ensure that firefighters are provided with the most suitable fire protection equipment;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to monitor the suitability of fire protection equipment provided to firefighters.

Brandon Lewis: The suitability of local fire protection equipment is a matter for the relevant locally accountable fire and rescue authority to decide, based on the requirements of their integrated risk management plan.
	The Government retain strategic responsibility for national resilience and have already committed significant financial resources to help fire and rescue authorities deliver specialist capability such as urban search and rescue equipment, high-volume pumps and mass decontamination equipment.

Housing Benefit

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department has received information that local authorities have reduced rents for their housing stock as a means of avoiding the housing benefit cap; if his Department will commission research into this issue; and if it will take steps to enforce adherence by local authorities to the housing benefit cap.

Mark Prisk: The housing benefit cap was introduced to ensure that claimants were not able to live in properties beyond the means of those not on benefit. The housing benefit cap only affects claimants living in the private rented sector and therefore tenants of local authority- owned housing stock are not affected.
	My Department, with the Department for Work and Pensions, is funding research into the impact of the local housing allowance changes on private rented sector tenants, landlords and local authorities. The housing benefit cap is one of the changes to the local housing allowance regime. An initial report was published on 14 June and can be found on the DWP website. There will be an interim report early next year and the final report later in 2013.
	The most recent official statistics published by the Valuation Office Agency in August 2012 show that median private sector rents across England rose by 0.9% in the year to June 2012, compared with a rise in RPI inflation of 2.8% over the same period. Rents have thus fallen in real terms, although there are local variations.

Housing: Construction

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes in England were self-built in each of the last five years.

Mark Prisk: The Department does not hold official statistics.
	To assist the policy-making process and policy development on encouraging self-builders, the Department is currently examining how best to quantify and support the take-up of self-build.

Housing: Floods

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written statement of 6 September 2012, Official Report, column 33WS, on housing and growth, whether the Environment Agency will be able to object on grounds of increased flood risk to domestic and commercial extensions allowed under his proposed changes to permitted development rights.

Nicholas Boles: A technical consultation paper on our proposals will be published shortly. The Environment Agency will be very welcome to contribute views to the consultation.

Land Auction Pilot Scheme

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what funding he has allocated to support local authorities participating in the land auction pilot up to March 2014;
	(2)  which local authorities are participating in his land auction pilot.

Mark Prisk: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her by my right hon. Friend the Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps), on 16 July 2012, Official Report, column 487W. We continue to work with the local authorities in Hastings, West Lancashire and Richmondshire, and each authority has been allocated £100,000 grant funding. We are now working with these local authorities to consider what further support they need over the pilot period, to March 2014.

Planning Permission

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects his Department to publish its consultation on the temporary extension of permitted development rights.

Nicholas Boles: My Department will be publishing a consultation document setting out full details of our proposals shortly.

Sportsgrounds: Safety

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which football and other sporting stadia have been refused safety certificates temporarily at any time in the last five years.

Hugh Robertson: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
	We do not hold records relating to the issue, amendment or cancellation of safety certificates. While the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is responsible for the Safety of Sports Ground legislation, any decision to issue a safety certificate or to limit the capacity of a sports ground would be a matter for the local authority.

HEALTH

Warrington Hospital

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the future of Warrington hospital; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: I am assured by the local national health service that Warrington hospital will continue to deliver high-quality care for patients.

Health and Social Care Act 2012

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of whether the Health and Social Care Act 2012 is being implemented as planned.

Jeremy Hunt: The implementation of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 is on track, with organisational changes under way to ensure the new system is ready for April 2013.
	The basis of the reform is to reshape the national health service so that it is more patient-centred, led by health professionals and focused on delivering world- class health outcomes.

Diabetes and Asthma

Mel Stride: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to help people cope with conditions such as diabetes and asthma.

Jeremy Hunt: We are working on an outcomes strategy for long-term conditions, structured around six shared goals: early diagnosis, integrated care, promoting independence and taking steps to support those with long-term conditions to live as well as possible.
	The Department has been working with a range of stakeholders and colleagues from across Whitehall to identify shared areas of interest that could have an impact on the outcomes for people living with long-term conditions, including those with diabetes and asthma.

Bariatric Surgery

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the economic and health benefits of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence clinical guidance 43 on bariatric surgery for obesity.

Anna Soubry: We have not assessed the benefits of National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance on the ‘prevention, identification, assessment and management of overweight and obesity in adults and children’, which contains guidance on the use of bariatric surgery.
	However, recent evidence continues to show that bariatric surgery is both effective and cost-effective over the long term for those who are morbidly obese.

Regional Pay

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the introduction of regional pay in the NHS on recruitment between and within English regions.

Daniel Poulter: I have been made aware of the concerns of trade unions and constituents about a consortium of employers in the south-west of England. The consortium is considering how they might make better use of their local health budgets for the benefit of patients and staff. They have not, however, made any formal proposals.
	Most employers, including the consortium, prefer to use national pay frameworks, provided they are fit for purpose.

Kent Health Commission

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has made an assessment of the recent report of the Kent Health Commission; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), has not made an assessment of the recent report that my hon. Friend sent to him recently.

National Pay Arrangements

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on upholding national pay arrangements in the NHS.

Daniel Poulter: National health service trusts and foundation trusts have the freedom to determine the terms and conditions of the staff they employ.
	Agenda for Change was negotiated and brought in during 2004 under the then Secretary of State for Health, the right hon. Dr John Reid, in order to agree a national framework for pay in the NHS.
	In general, most trusts support the agreed pay framework in Agenda for Change and are likely to continue to use national terms, provided they remain affordable and fit for purpose.

Abortion

James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS spent on carrying out abortions in each of the last four years.

Anna Soubry: Information on how much national health service commissioners spend on abortion is not collected centrally. However, it is possible to produce an estimate by using the activity figures provided to the chief medical officer and a weighted average of the national tariff for procedures that include abortion.
	The following table shows the estimated spend by commissioners in England on abortions for each of the last four years for which data is available:
	
		
			  Estimated spend (£ million) 
			 2008 101 
			 2009 124 
			 2010 117 
			 2011 119 
		
	
	Estimates have been provided for calendar years because activity data is supplied on this basis. The weighted average national tariff, however, relates to the respective financial year, so for example the 2008-09 tariff was used to produce the estimate for 2008.
	It should be noted that this methodology is likely to overestimate total spend, as we are aware that contracts with independent-sector providers are generally at a lower price than the national tariff.

Abortion

James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether local authorities will have responsibility for the provision of abortion services when they take on responsibility for public health provision.

Anna Soubry: Local authorities will not have responsibility for abortion services; these will be commissioned by Clinical Commissioning Groups.

Atos

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2012, Official Report, columns 785-6W, on Atos, whether he has made an estimate of the level of profit Atos will make from each contract; and what the likely level of profit is for each.

Daniel Poulter: An estimate of the level of profit has been made for the two contracts and the Department has mechanisms in place in accordance with the agreed contractual terms to ensure that any profit made by Atos is at an appropriate level. We are unable to release information on the estimated likely level of profit as this includes commercially confidential information.

Blood Diseases

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to tackle and prevent sepsis.

Daniel Poulter: I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 10 September 2012, Official Report, columns 109-10W.

Care Homes

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 17 May 2012, Official Report, column 346W, on care homes, how many of the Care Quality Commission inspections were conducted (a) on site and (b) remotely.

Norman Lamb: Prior to 1 October 2010 adult social care services were inspected under the Care Standards Act 2000. The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the 2008 Act) required providers of adult social care services to register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) by 1 October 2010. From this date, adult social care providers are inspected under the 2008 Act.
	The CQC has provided the following information:
	
		
			 Legislation Year Number of inspections of care homes that included a site visit Number of inspections of care homes that did not include a site visit Total 
			 Care Standards Act 2000 (to 30 September 2010) 2010-11 3,017 0 3,017 
			 Health Social Care Act 2008 (from 1 October 2010) 2010-11 2,172 43 2,215 
			 Health and Social Care Act 2008 2011-12 12,373 300 12,673 
			  Total 17,562 343 17,905

Dementia

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to tackle dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

Jeremy Hunt: Improving health and care for those with dementia—and their carers—is a key priority for me and for the Prime Minister. I want to see us among the best in Europe at ensuring timely diagnosis and provision of the best possible treatment and support. I want to see better diagnosis rates, better care in hospitals, care homes and the community, and a doubling in funding for research.
	We have also committed to reducing the prescribing of antipsychotic drugs to people with dementia. Real progress has been made to date, but there is more to be done.
	190 care homes and care home providers have already signed up to the Dementia Care and Support Compact, setting out their commitment to deliver high quality, relationship based care. This covers the providers of dementia care for over 200,000 people.

Drugs: Misuse

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many organisations representing drug users Ministers in his Department have met in the last year.

Daniel Poulter: Details of ministerial meetings with external stakeholders are published quarterly in arrears on the Department's website at:
	http://transparency.dh.gov.uk/category/transparency/ministerial-gifts-hospitality/

East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the planned reorganisation of the East Midlands Ambulance Service; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: The commissioning and provision of national health service ambulance services is a matter for the local NHS. The East Midlands Ambulance Service published its “Being the Best” change programme on 17 July 2012, outlining plans designed to provide the right ambulance services for the long term.

Emergencies: Hazardous Substances

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the deployable mobile decontamination capacity of the NHS available for homeland security in the event of a domestic chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear incident from (a) the NHS Hazardous Area Response teams and (b) any other NHS source or organisation.

Anna Soubry: The deployable mobile decontamination capabilities throughout England have undergone a process of assessment under project ARGON, sponsored by the Home Office, Office of Security and Counter Terrorism. This project assessed multi-agency regional chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear plans, which included the health input. Under this process, a number of table- top and full-scale exercises were carried out at a number of keys sites across the United Kingdom.

Epilepsy: Children

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent representations he has received on the future of funding for children's epilepsy surgery;
	(2)  what recent representations he received on the referral pathways for children's epilepsy surgery.

Norman Lamb: The Department is not aware of receiving any recent representations about either referral pathways or the future of funding for children's epilepsy surgery.
	Subject to regulations being made and laid, specialist neuroscience services for children and young people, which includes all paediatric neurosurgery services, will be the responsibility of the NHS Commissioning Board from April 2013.

Health Services: Homelessness

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government plan to take to improve NHS services for homeless people.

Anna Soubry: We are taking steps to address the poor health outcomes experienced by the homeless and the difficulties that they, and other vulnerable groups, face in accessing some health services. For the first time, we have introduced legal duties on national health service commissioners to reduce inequalities in access to and outcomes from health services. In addition, we have developed an Inclusion Health programme, through which we are working with other Government Departments, the NHS and the third sector to tackle the poor health of people in vulnerable groups and to ensure everyone gets the care they need, regardless of their needs or circumstances. As part of this broad programme, we are looking at how to improve access to primary care services, and hospital discharge arrangements for the homeless.

Health Services: Overseas Visitors

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many NHS hospitals and NHS hospital trusts in England employ dedicated managers to ensure that visitors from overseas, not eligible for free treatment, pay what is due;
	(2)  what the total income received by NHS hospitals and NHS hospital trusts in England from the treatment of visitors from overseas was in the last year for which figures are available;
	(3)  what progress has been made in the Government's review of the rules and practices in relation to charging overseas visitors for NHS services; and when he intends to publish the conclusions and recommendations of that review.

Anna Soubry: The Department does not hold information on how many national health service hospital trusts in England employ dedicated managers to make and recover charges to overseas visitors. However, the Department does strongly recommend that NHS bodies have such a person to oversee the implementation of the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2011, as amended.
	NHS trusts' accounts show that the total income received from overseas visitors liable for charges for 2011-12 was £19,515,000. The chairman of Monitor informs us that the similar figure for NHS foundation trusts was £13,000,000. Income received means the total amount that those bodies invoiced overseas visitors, not what they received from them in payment.
	The initial phase of the review of charging overseas visitors for NHS care concluded earlier this year and is now being considered. The Department will respond in due course.

Health Services: Rehabilitation

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much each primary care trust allocated to local authorities to spend on (a) re-ablement, (b) bed-based intermediate services and (c) early supported hospital discharge schemes in the last year for which figures are available.

Norman Lamb: The Department collected information on the use of the funding allocated to support social care services in September 2011. Data at primary care trust (PCT) level have been placed in the Library.
	The returns from PCTs showed that they planned to transfer £642 million of the £648 million made available in 2011-12.
	Following the survey, we followed up with the two PCTs which, at the time of the survey, had not yet agreed the majority of their transfer and sought assurances that plans were in place to reach an agreed position. We can now confirm that agreements have been made for the remaining £6 million to be transferred to local authorities.

Health Services: Weather

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much winter pressures funding was allocated to each primary care trust in 2010-11.

Norman Lamb: A copy of the primary care trust level allocations for the £162 million winter pressures funding in 2010-11 has been placed in the Library.

Heart Diseases: Children

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many surgical centres for children's congenital heart services he plans to retain following the findings of the Safe and Sustainable Review of such services.

Anna Soubry: The Safe and Sustainable Review of children's congenital heart services is a national health service review and independent of Government.
	On 4 July 2012, the joint committee of primary care trusts, the decision-making body for the review, decided that seven hospitals will continue to provide children's congenital heart surgery:
	Freeman Hospital, Newcastle;
	Alder Hey Children's Hospital, Liverpool;
	Birmingham Children's Hospital;
	Bristol Royal Hospital for Children;
	Southampton General Hospital;
	Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London; and
	Evelina Children's Hospital, London.

Lung Diseases

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the absence of a strategic clinical network on the ability of the NHS Commissioning Board to deliver his Department's outcomes strategy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder and asthma.

Anna Soubry: It will be for the NHS Commissioning Board to decide on its priorities, and how it will deliver on these, when it takes up its full statutory duties and responsibilities in April 2013.
	Reducing mortality from respiratory disease for under-75s is an indicator in the NHS Outcomes Framework on which the NHS Commissioning Board will be accountable to the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt). It is for the NHS Commissioning Board and Clinical Commissioning Groups locally to determine how the national health service will make improvements in outcomes against this indicator, which may include providing support for implementation of the outcomes strategy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma.

NHS: Vetting

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the level of completion of Criminal Records Bureau checks during the recruitment of NHS front-line staff; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether his Department monitors the completion by NHS trusts and other NHS bodies of Criminal Records Bureau checks during the recruitment of staff;
	(3)  what guidance his Department has issued to NHS trusts about the completion of Criminal Records Bureau checks during the recruitment of staff.

Daniel Poulter: The Department does not monitor the completion of Criminal Records Bureau checks within health and social care. However, national health service care providers registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) are required to operate an effective recruitment procedure. This includes, the option of taking up criminal records checks and what action to take as a result of such a check.
	During inspections the CQC monitors compliance with the registration requirements. If an NHS provider is deemed to be non-compliant, for example, because appropriate checks have not been carried out, the CQC will take enforcement action against an NHS care provider.
	In addition, the Department has commissioned NHS Employers to provide detailed advice to the NHS about all aspects of safe recruitment, including criminal records checking.

NHS: Working Hours

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the effect on the NHS of the EU Working Time Directive and the European Court of Justice's ruling in SiMAP and Jaeger; and what recent progress he has made on reform of that directive.

Daniel Poulter: In response to concerns about the application of the directive in the United Kingdom, the Government's independent advisory body on medical education—Medical Education England—commissioned an independent review chaired by Professor Sir John Temple.
	The review's findings noted that requirements of the directive differed from those of the Junior Doctors' Contract, that this limited training opportunities and, in light of this, recommended the Junior Doctors' Contract be reappraised to ensure it supports training within the directive.
	In response to the Temple Report, the four UK Health Departments commissioned the NHS Employers organisation to work with all stakeholders and the devolved Administrations to produce a report, which summarises the views of all parties, and to make recommendations for reappraising the contract. All four Administrations have now received the report and are considering the recommendations very carefully, including any case for negotiating a new contract.
	In Europe, social partners are currently negotiating the Working Time Directive. The EU social partner process is autonomous and operates independently of the Commission and Council. The Government have no formal role in any social partner negotiations.
	The Government would welcome proposals that would preserve the right for all workers, including those in the NHS, to choose the hours that they work. For the NHS this means flexibility in the areas of on-call time and compensatory rest as well as the preservation of the individual opt out.

NHS: Working Hours

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the level of hospital staff cover for (a) doctors and (b) nurses over weekend shifts.

Daniel Poulter: No estimates have been made by the Department. Information about work-force numbers in trusts is held locally.

Prosthetics

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress his Department has made in implementing the recommendations of the Murrison report on military amputees; and what consideration it has given to extending these arrangements to civilian amputees.

Daniel Poulter: Good progress has been made with implementing the recommendations of “A better deal for military amputees”. The Veterans' Prosthetics Panel has to date handled 27 funding requests, totalling just under £300,000.
	The provision of nationally commissioned specialised prosthetics services for veterans is also moving forward. The Department has recently agreed a service specification for these services with representatives of the NHS Commissioning Board (NHSCB). The process of commissioning these services will commence once this specification has been through the final approval process of the NHSCB later this month. The Department and NHSCB officials will continue to consult on implementation of “A better deal for military amputees” with veterans, the relevant charities and clinicians during 2012. This will include consultation on how best to ensure that there is a wider dividend to civilian amputees.

Sleep Apnoea

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy that screening programmes for people at risk of type 2 diabetes should include screening for obstructive sleep apnoea.

Anna Soubry: The Government currently have no plans to screen for obstructive sleep apnoea.
	The national health service does not currently screen for type 2 diabetes, although risk factors are identified as part of the NHS Health Check.

Streptococcus

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he has taken to publicise the UK National Screening Committee's public consultation on screening all pregnant women for group B streptococcus; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to ensure consideration of all submissions made directly to the UK National Screening Committee during public consultations on screening for group B streptococcus; if he will ensure that the submissions and the response to them are made public; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what cost-benefit analyses his Department has conducted to compare the UK's current risk-based strategy for preventing group B streptococcus infection in newborn babies with screening approaches with other countries; if he will publish the results of any such analyses; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what recent consultation his Department has undertaken with other EU member states regarding the prevention of group B streptococcus infection in newborn babies.

Daniel Poulter: The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises Ministers and the national health service in all four countries about all aspects of screening policy and supports implementation. Using research evidence, pilot programmes and economic evaluation, it assesses the evidence for programmes against a set of internationally recognised criteria.
	In response to representations made to the Department on group B streptococcus (GBS) infection in newborn babies during the UK NSC's consultation period, the Department has taken opportunities, for example through correspondence, to publicise that the UK NSC's review of screening for GBS carriage in pregnancy is currently open in order to ensure the widest possible engagement from stakeholder organisations and individuals during the consultation period.
	The UK NSC will consider all of the submissions made during the consultation at its 13 November 2012 meeting. All consultation replies will be available on the UK NSC's website apart from those where stakeholder organisations or individuals have requested that their response is not made public.
	The Department has not undertaken a comparative assessment of the cost benefit of the UK's risk-based strategy for preventing GBS infection in newborn babies with screening approaches used in other western countries.
	However, a National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment study, “Kaambwa B, Bryan S, Gray 3, Milner P, Daniels J, Khan K, Roberts T. Cost-effectiveness of rapid tests and other existing strategies for screening and management of early-onset group B streptococcus during labour. BJOG. 2010;117:1616-1627”, suggested that assessments of screening's cost-effectiveness in relation to current practice were subject to a great deal of uncertainty and were dependent on changes to clinical practice. A copy has been placed in the Library.
	The Department has not held any consultations with any European Union member states on the prevention of GBS infection in newborn babies.

Vulnerable Adults: Coastal Areas

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has undertaken an assessment of the movement of vulnerable people who are in the care of social services from inner cities to seaside towns.

Norman Lamb: Information about the movement of people in vulnerable situations who are in the care of social services from inner cities to seaside towns is not collected centrally.
	It is a duty on local councils' social services departments to monitor, review and support the people they place out of area.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Atos

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2012, Official Report, column 774W, on Atos, whether she has made an estimate of the level of profit Atos will make from each contract; and what the likely level of profit is for each.

Alan Duncan: In line with the Government's Transparency Agenda, DFID publishes details of contracts awarded to suppliers at Contracts Finder, the Cabinet Office's online central repository for this type of information.
	Information made available on Contracts Finder includes the name of the successful supplier, total contract value and details of the services to be awarded under the contract.
	We do not award contracts on a cost-plus basis, but on the basis of value for money as generated through a competitive tender process.

Bangladesh

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will publish the full list of operational projects being undertaken by her Department in Bangladesh; which organisations are responsible for each of the operational projects; and what funding has been provided for each such project.

Alan Duncan: The following table shows the full list of DFID projects undertaken in Bangladesh:
	
		
			 Project Name Start Date End Date Allocation (£ million) Managing/Implementing Orgs. Partner Organisations (Co-financer/Joint Prog. Partner) Purpose/Objective of the Project 
			 Human development       
			 Health Sector Development Programme (HSDP) 1 July 2011 30 June 2016 120.00 World Bank USAID, CIDA, EU, JICA, SIDA, RNE, MOHFW and KFW To create a sustainable improvement of health, nutrition and family welfare status in the population of Bangladesh, especially among those who are most vulnerable, e.g. the poor, women and children, and the elderly. 
			 International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) Core Support 1 December 2012 1 November 2016 7.50 ICDDR,B ICDDR,B To develop and deliver through research, cost- effective solutions to major health, population and nutrition problems of poor people, both in Bangladesh and internationally. 
			 Bangladesh Education Development Programme (BEDP) 1 September 2010 30 June 2016 120.00 Government of Bangladesh ADB, WB, JICA, EU, AusAid, CIDA, SIDA, UNICEF An inclusive system of education that provides equitable learning opportunities to all eligible children in Bangladesh. 
			 English In Action (EIA) 1 May 2008 30 April 2017 50.00 BMB Mott MacDonald BMB Mott MacDonald, UK Open University, BBC WST, Friends in Village Development-Bangladesh, UCEP To improve English- language skills for 25 million people through news, TV, radio, and mobile device materials, improved teacher training, and adult learning. 
			 Underprivileged Children's Education and Skills Programme (UCEP) 1 April 2012 31 March 2016 20.00 UCEP NORAD, Save the Children To ensure that underprivileged children are provided with quality general and technical education, skills development, employment support, and rights awareness. 
			 Sanitation, Hygiene Education and Water Supply in Bangladesh (SHEWA-B) 1 January 2007 31 December 2012 48.50 UNICEF, Department of Public Health Engineering UNICEF and Government of Bangladesh To support the provision of improved access to water and sanitation and better hygiene practices in rural and urban areas. 
			        
			 Governance       
			 Public Service Capacity (MATT 2) 1 May 2006 31 January 2013 15.21 Capita Helm  A critical mass of competent and reform-minded civil servants enabled to develop and deliver Government policy 
			 World Bank JOTAP 1 August 2005 30 June 2013 5.50 World Bank  To provide an evidence base for more effective DFID and World Bank country programmes and policies in Bangladesh and to engage Government of Bangladesh and Bangladeshi stakeholders in open policy debate. 
		
	
	
		
			 Rights and Governance Challenge Fund 1 July 2008 31 March 2013 38.03 Manusher Jonno Foundation Norway Poor and vulnerable people, particularly women and children, have access to measurably better quality services and enjoy improved security. 
			 TACTS (Tax Administration Capacity and Taxpayer Services) 1 August 2010 31 July 2015 7.00 PWC India  To improve the Government's weak domestic revenue position, widen the tax base and promote transparency and trust in the revenue administration system 
			 Strengthening Public Financial Management (SPEMP) 1 October 2009 31 September 2014 30.15 World Bank EU, DANIDA, CIDA, Netherlands A more efficient Public Expenditure Management system with increased transparency and accountability to citizens 
			 Safety and Justice 1 April 2010 30 April 2015 31.33 UNDP, Maxwell Stamp  Increase access to high-quality informal justice mechanisms and develop a more responsive formal justice system for the poor and vulnerable, particularly women, children, ethnic and religious minorities and marginalised communities 
			 Strengthening Political Participation 1 April 2010 31 March 2015 19.70 UNDP, Democracy International, The Asia Foundation, Transparency International Bangladesh, Westminster Foundation for Democracy, National Democratic Institute USAID A political system that is more capable, accountable and responsive, especially to the needs of the poor and marginalised 
			        
			 Private sector development       
			 Regulatory and investment systems for enterprise growth in Bangladesh (RISE) 1 July 2007 1 June 2015 40.30 International Finance Corporation (IFC), World Bank EU on Bangladesh Investment Climate Facility, NORAD on South Asia Enterprise Development Facility, WB on Economic Zone Development To improved investment climate making Bangladesh a better place for business 
			 Promoting Financial services for poverty reduction in Bangladesh (Prosper) 1 June 2007 1 December 2013 40.15 Bangladesh Bank, PKSF, Institute of Microfinance, Microcredit Regulatory Authority, Maxwell Stamp  To ensure sustainable Micro-Finance sector in Bangladesh offers greater access to, and usage of diversified financial services for the poor, micro, small enterprises and farmers 
			 Katalyst Phase II 16 March 2008 15 March 2013 11.80 Swisscontact SDC, Netherlands, CIDA To increase the competitiveness of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMSE) in key urban and rural sectors 
		
	
	
		
			        
			 Extreme poverty       
			 Economic Empowerment of the Poorest 1 November 2005 31 December 2015 65.30 Harewelle International  The purpose is to improve the livelihoods of 1 million very poor people, particularly women and children, by increasing their economic well-being. 
			 Urban Partnership for Poverty Reduction (UPPR) 1 April 2006 1 March 2014 60.10 UNDP UNDP The purpose is to improve the livelihoods and living conditions of 3 million urban poor and extremely poor people, especially women and girls. 
			 Chars Livelihoods Programme (CLP2) 1 September 2009 30 April 2016 70.00 Maxwell Stamp AusAid To improve the food security, livelihoods and incomes of up to 1 million extremely poor people living on the Riverine Char Islands of North-Western Bangladesh 
			 BRAC Strategic Partnership Agreement 1 April 2011 31 March 2016 226.00 BRAC AusAID Supporting BRAC's development programme in providing basic health-case services, education, water and sanitation and improving the livelihoods of the poorest and most marginalised people in Bangladesh 
			 Accelerating Improved Nutrition for Extreme Poor in Bangladesh 1 April 2012 31 March 2015 15.00 CLP2, EEP, UPPR  Reducing under nutrition in three extreme poverty programme areas. Improved nutrient intake and health status of adolescent girls, pregnant and breastfeeding women and young children. 
			        
			 Climate change       
			 Climate Change Programme 2 September 2008 1 December 2013 75.00 WB, UNDP, HTSPE, IIED, IUCN Bangladesh Climate Change Resilience Fund - EU, DANIDA, SIDA, Swiss, AusAid, USAID. CDMP- EU, Sweden, AusAid, Norway Climate-change adaptation and risk- reduction measures protect and improve the lives and livelihoods of 15 million poor and vulnerable people by 2013. 
			 Humanitarian Preparedness and Response 27 June 2011 26 June 2016 20.00 Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), World Food Programme (WFP)  To save lives, alleviate suffering, maintain dignity and reduce risk among people affected by disasters in Bangladesh through direct humanitarian assistance and a better prepared humanitarian system. 
		
	
	
		
			 Shelter, Sanitation Recovery and Resilience, Bangladesh 1 February 2012 31 January 2013 10.02 ‘NARRI’ Consortium (Lead agency Oxfam in partnership with Action Aid, CARE, Concern Worldwide, Islamic Relief, and Solidarités)  Households and individuals affected by waterlogging in South West Bangladesh able to protect themselves and their assets through access to and ownership of secure, disaster resilient shelter, sanitation and improved hygiene 
			  Total  1,146.59

Bangladesh

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the outcomes were of the Primary Education Development Programme 2; and how the project was implemented in Bangladesh.

Alan Duncan: By the end of the programme (April 2008-June 2011) 96% of all eligible children in the country were enrolled in primary schools. The primary school completion rate increased from 52% to 60%, of which 62% were girls. All the children in schools received textbooks. In addition 45,000 new teachers were recruited and 38,000 new classrooms constructed.
	The fund was channelled through the Asian Development Bank, which provided oversight of the programme progress, reporting and fiduciary management. All activities were implemented by the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, Government of Bangladesh and supported by the Department for International Development and 11 other development partners.

Bangladesh

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what outcomes she expects from the Economic Empowerment for the Poorest programme; and how the project is being implemented in Bangladesh.

Alan Duncan: The programme (2008-15) aims to help lift 1 million people out of extreme poverty by 2015. 550,000 people have already benefitted through skills training and income-generation activities.
	The Department for International Development supports this programme through two Challenge Funds—the Scale Fund and the Innovation Fund. The funds use proven as well as innovative approaches to benefit the poorest.
	The programme is implemented on the ground by international and local non-governmental organisations, overseen by Harewelle International.

Bangladesh

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what outcomes are expected from the Sanitation, Hygiene, Education and Water Supply in Bangladesh programme; and how the project was implemented in Bangladesh.

Alan Duncan: The programme (January 2007-December 2012) supports the provision of improved access to water and sanitation and better hygiene practices in rural and urban areas. The programme has already provided 1.4 million poor with safe drinking water and 5.8 million with improved sanitation facilities. By December 2012 an additional 0.7 million people will secure access to safe drinking water, and 1.12 million will have improved sanitation facilities.
	The programme is implemented by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in partnership with the Government of Bangladesh.

Bangladesh

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what outcomes are expected from the English in Action programme; and how the project was implemented in Bangladesh.

Alan Duncan: The English in Action (2006-2016) programme is expected to improve the English-language teaching skills of 67,500 primary school teachers and 9,000 secondary school teachers. In turn these teachers will help improve the English skills of more than 6.75 million primary and 3.75 million secondary students. English- language learning materials will be assisted through mobile phones, television, websites and newspapers so as to reach 25 million Bangladeshis.
	The implementing partners are Mott MacDonald, BBC media action and the UK Open University.

Bangladesh

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what outcomes were achieved by the BRAC Education Programme II— Bridging Grant; and how the project was implemented in Bangladesh.

Alan Duncan: By the end of the programme (July 2009—March 2011) over one million children (60% girls) were supported to complete pre-primary education. Nearly all were enrolled in Grade 1 of Government primary schools. Over 800,000 disadvantaged children received primary education, of whom 47,000 were from ethnic minorities and 18,500 were children with special needs.
	This programme was implemented by BRAC (previously known as Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee) and supported by the Department for International Development, the Netherlands, Australian Agency for International Development, Canadian International Development Agency, Oxfam Novib and the United Nations Children's Fund.

Bangladesh

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what outcomes were achieved by the Enterprise Growth and Bank Modernisation programme; and how the project was implemented in Bangladesh.

Alan Duncan: The project helped to reduce Government of Bangladesh losses from non-financial state-owned enterprises from 2002 to 2009. Losses of the state-owned enterprises supported by the project in 2008-09 were £30.2 million lower than the losses in 2002-03. By the end of the project, around 59% of the redundant workers from state-owned enterprises had also received training, advice and/or assistance to seek alternative employment.
	The project was implemented by the World Bank and BRAC.

Bangladesh

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what outcomes she expects from the Climate Change Programme entitled Jolobayoo-O-Jibon; and how the project is being implemented in Bangladesh.

Alan Duncan: The Climate Change Programme is helping Bangladesh become more resilient to climate change, supporting the national Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan. The plan prioritises adaptation and disaster risk-reduction, and also addresses low-carbon development, technology transfer and research. By 2015, 15 million people will have access to early warning systems for floods and cyclones.
	The programme is implemented in three components. The Bangladesh Climate Change Resilience Fund is managed by the Government of Bangladesh, with the World Bank providing technical support and financial safeguards. The Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme is led by UNDP to support Government and civil society to strengthen national systems and help communities reduce the risk of disasters. A smaller strategic fund is managed directly by DFID, piloting innovations and research in Bangladesh, such as the best designs for cyclone-resilient housing.

Bangladesh

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what outcomes are expected from the Bangladesh Education Development programme; and how the project is being implemented in Bangladesh.

Alan Duncan: The main outcome of this programme (2011-17) by 2017 will be the improved quality of primary education in nearly 80,000 schools educating 16.8 million children. In addition, the completion rate in primary schools is expected to increase from 60% to 75%.
	This programme is implemented by the Government of Bangladesh and is supported by the Department for International Development, as well as nine development partners, with fiduciary oversight by the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank.

Developing Countries: Private Sector

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will publish any guidance given to her Department's country offices specifying requirements to increase private sector spending.

Justine Greening: No such guidance has been issued.

Members: Correspondence

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when her Department plans to respond to the letter sent by the hon. Member for Bury South (Mr Lewis) to her Department's Permanent Secretary on 5 October 2012.

Justine Greening: The response has been sent.

Overseas Aid

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what official development assistance (ODA) each Government Department contributes towards the target of 0.7 per cent of gross national income being spent on ODA; and what estimate she has made of the forecasted non-delegated ODA expenditure limit which will contribute to the target.

Justine Greening: In relation to DFID ODA spending plans (including conflict pool), these are currently assumed to be £10,426.8 million and £10,854.9 million for both years, respectively.
	Details of the 2011 ODA spending out-turn, including non-DFID ODA, were published by DFID in March of this year and a link to the website is as follows:
	www.dfid.gov.uk/News/Press-releases/2012/Provisional-UK-Official-Development-Assistance-as-a-proportion-of-Gross-National-Income-2011/

Rwanda

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what (a) non-governmental and (b) private sector organisations receive funding from her Department to work in Rwanda; and what funds each such organisation received in each of the last three years.

Justine Greening: The Department for International Development has funded or plans to fund the following organisations over the period requested:
	
		
			 2012-13 
			 Organisation NGO or private sector organisation Amount funded 
			 Trade Mark East Africa Rwanda Private sector £3.8 million forecast 
			 Access to Finance Rwanda Private sector £5,346,678 forecast 
			 HTSPE (through Land Tenure Regularisation Programme) Private sector Total programme spend £5,057,095 forecast 
			 HLSP Private sector £26,524 forecast 
			 Coffey International development Ltd Private sector £99,999 forecast 
		
	
	
		
			 DevCo Private sector $1 million, from 2010 
			 KivuWatt Ltd (through EIAF) Private sector $25 million from 2011 (25 years) 
			 Seacom, Africa regional Private sector $35.4 million across Africa from 2007 
			 O3b Private sector $25 million across region from 2010 
			 Norwegian People's Aid NGO £567,000 forecast 
			 Help the Hospices NGO £496,532 forecast over six countries, covering April 2009-March 2014 
			 ADRA UK NGO £500,000 forecast, covering July 2011 to June 2014 
			 Survivors Fund (SURF) NGO £966,360 forecast, covering April 2012 to March2015 
			 Transparency International Secretariat NGO £4,673,672 forecast over 16 countries, covering September 2008 to September 2013 
			 Mott Macdonald Ltd Private sector Total fund value for FY being managed by MM: £2,543,850 forecast 
			 CFBT, Cambridge Education Ltd Private sector £529,426 forecast 
		
	
	
		
			 2011-12 
			 Organisation NGO or private sector organisation Amount funded 
			 Malcolm Sainsbury Private sector £34,421 
			 HS Private sector £78,424 
			 Access to Finance Rwanda Private sector £2,757,822 
			 HTSPE (through Land Tenure Regularisation Programme) Private sector Total programme spend £5,166,005 
			 Trade Mark East Africa Rwanda Private sector £1,499,346 
			 Norwegian People's Aid NGO £23,478 
			 Betty's and Taylor's of Harrogate Private sector £147,701.72 
		
	
	
		
			 2010-11 
			 Organisation NGO or private sector organisation Amount funded 
			 Rwanda civil society platform NGO £645,799 
			 Access to Finance Rwanda Private sector £14,227,897 
			 Capita Helm Corporation Private sector £218,630 
			 HLSP Private sector £467,324 
			 HTSPE (through Land Tenure Regularisation Programme) Private sector Total programme spend £3,812,929 
			 Betty's and Taylor's of Harrogate Private sector £81,318.38 
			 Café Direct Private sector £11,108.01

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Capital Punishment

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to overseas governments on the abolition of the death penalty.

David Lidington: The Government continue to make representations on the abolition of the death penalty to those countries that retain it including bilaterally, through the EU and in multilateral fora. In recent weeks, we have made formal representations to The Gambia and Iraq over the increase in executions in both countries. On 9 October the Foreign and Commonwealth Office held an event in Parliament with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the Abolition of the Death Penalty. At this event, we lobbied the embassies of a number of countries which retain the death penalty. We will be increasing our lobbying efforts further in the weeks ahead to help ensure that more countries than ever before vote in favour of the forthcoming UN resolution on a worldwide moratorium on the death penalty.

Indonesia

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions HM Ambassador to Indonesia had with local civil society organisations and security forces personnel concerning (a) the right to freedom of expression and (b) protection for human rights defenders during his recent visit to Papua.

Hugo Swire: We regularly discuss the situation in the Indonesian provinces of Papua with the Indonesian Government and civil society. In September the ambassador visited Papua and met senior military and police officials and emphasised the need to respect human rights and ensure full and transparent investigations into any violent incidents. He and his colleagues met with a number of non-governmental organisations and discussed a range of human rights issues including freedom of expression and the protection of human rights defenders.
	We take seriously all reports of human rights violations in the provinces and we will continue to raise our concerns with the Government of Indonesia.

Indonesia

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions (a) HM Ambassador to Indonesia and (b) other Government officials have had with Indonesian Ministers and officials on access to Papua by international human rights, humanitarian and development organisations and foreign journalists.

Hugo Swire: We encourage the Indonesian Government to allow greater openness and access to Indonesia's provinces for non-governmental organisations, foreign journalists and diplomats to enable accurate reporting of events. We are aware that some non-governmental organisations have reported difficulties about working in the region. We will continue to raise the issue of access with the Indonesian authorities.
	Most recently our ambassador discussed Papua with the Co-ordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs on 26 September and stressed that the Government needed to be transparent and open about their efforts on addressing issues in Papua.

Indonesia

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what UK-supplied military equipment is currently deployed in Papua; what assurances he has received from the Indonesian Government concerning the use of such equipment in Papua; and what steps he has taken to ensure that such equipment is used in compliance with assurances given by the Indonesian Government.

Hugo Swire: We are not aware of any UK-supplied military equipment currently deployed in Papua. We maintain a rigorous and transparent arms export control system, whereby applications to all destinations, including Indonesia, are assessed on a case-by-case basis, against the Consolidated European Union (EU) and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, depending on the end use and circumstances prevailing at the time of application. We continue to monitor the situation in West Papua closely and this feeds into our assessment of export licence applications for Indonesia.

Indonesia

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions on strategic exports the Prime Minister held with Indonesian Ministers and officials during his visit to Indonesia in April 2012; what further discussions have been had by Ministers and officials with their Indonesian counterparts on that matter; and if he will make a statement.

Hugo Swire: The Prime Minister and the Indonesian President discussed a range of issues during the Prime Minister’s visit to Jakarta in April 2012, including increasing UK-Indonesia trade and investment opportunities. Both leaders committed to doubling trade in both directions by 2015. There was no discussion on capabilities covered by strategic export controls legislation during meetings between the Prime Minister and Indonesian Ministers in Jakarta earlier this year. Officials have been involved subsequently in a range of discussions as part of the normal course of business.

Kenya

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many electoral observers from the UK will be present during the presidential and parliamentary elections in Kenya in March 2013.

Mark Simmonds: We strongly support independent observation of Kenya's forthcoming elections. We welcome the EU’s plans for an election observation mission and encourage other international organisations to organise similar missions and to co-ordinate their respective plans. We expect British observers to form part of these missions but it is too early to say how many will participate.

Kenya

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps his Department has taken to support the presidential and parliamentary elections in Kenya due to take place in March 2013.

Mark Simmonds: The British Government are providing extensive support for free, fair and peaceful elections in Kenya in March next year. This includes a £11.5 million programme supporting the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, voter education, independent election observation and security sector reform. The UK is providing leadership within the international community and civil society in urging responsible political campaigning that avoids ethnic incitement.

Mali

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make an assessment of whether the conflict in northern Mali is fuelled by drugs smuggling; what measures he (a) has taken and (b) is considering taking to develop a co-ordinated plan with EU partners to tackle drugs smuggling in the region; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Simmonds: The UK and its EU partners continue to take a co-ordinated approach to tackling drugs smuggling. In the Sahel, such work falls under the remit of the EU's Strategy for Security and Development, which seeks, over the long term, to address the multifaceted security challenges in the region, of which the risk of drug smuggling is one element.

Middle East

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the firing of mortars and Qassam rockets into southern Israel from Gaza on 8 October 2012; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Alistair Burt: Over 50 rockets and mortars were fired from Gaza between 7-9 October, following Israeli airstrikes that killed two suspected Palestinian militants and wounded 11 civilians. Hamas's Al-Qassam Brigade claimed responsibility for rocket fire for the third time this year.
	We have condemned indiscriminate rocket fire from Gaza into southern Israel and continue to urge all sides to exercise restraint and prevent civilian casualties and loss of life.

Middle East

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the outcome of attempts to destroy tunnels used to smuggle weapons into Gaza since March 2012; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Alistair Burt: We are aware that there have been attempts to destroy and close the tunnels in Gaza.
	We welcome President Mursi's commitment to addressing security in the Sinai by asserting greater control over the peninsula. It will be important that Egypt and Israel work together to find solutions to the threats that affect them both.
	The UK recognises that Israel has legitimate security concerns that must continue to be safeguarded. However, we believe that the current Israeli restrictions on Gaza do tremendous damage to the economy and living standards of ordinary people in Gaza and do not serve Israel's long-term security interests.

Sierra Leone

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many electoral observers from the UK will be present during the presidential and parliamentary elections in Sierra Leone in November 2012.

Mark Simmonds: The British High Commission, Ministry of Defence and Department for International Development offices in Freetown, in conjunction with other embassies, will field observers during the presidential and parliamentary elections in Sierra Leone with the aim of covering all 14 districts. This will involve around 15 UK staff. Additionally, we are expecting international observer teams from the EU, the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States, the Commonwealth and the Carter Centre. It is likely that some of the members of these teams will be from the UK.

Sierra Leone

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps his Department has taken to support the presidential and parliamentary elections due to take place in Sierra Leone in November 2012.

Mark Simmonds: In Sierra Leone the UK is providing around £18 million through the Department for International Development in support of the democratic process over the electoral cycle 2010-14. The British High Commission in Freetown is actively engaged with the political parties, electoral institutions and Government (including the police) to encourage peaceful and transparent elections. On election day itself, the high commission will be fielding an observer team to monitor developments.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Apprentices

Michael Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many apprentices working in his Department are (a) paid and (b) completing a qualification as part of the apprenticeship;
	(2)  how many (a) paid apprentices and (b) paid interns are employed in his Department.

Richard Benyon: Core DEFRA does not currently employ any paid apprentices completing qualifications or paid interns.
	From time to time we do run apprenticeship schemes for staff which lead to a qualification. We also partake in Whitehall internship schemes both for paid and unpaid interns in line with Government policy.

Control of Dogs Order 1992

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) enforcement of the Control of Dogs Order 1992; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether he has considered amending the penalties under the Control of Dogs Order 1992.

David Heath: The majority of dog owners comply with this order which requires that when in a public place, dogs must have a collar and tag identifying the owner. Non-compliance is usually successfully dealt with through education and the imposition of kennelling charges levied on the owners of stray dogs. This acts as a deterrent to future offending, so prosecutions are therefore few. There are no plans to review the penalties.

Horseshoes

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he plans to revise the definition of a horseshoe in the Farriers (Registration) Act 1975.

David Heath: DEFRA officials have been in discussions with the Farriers Registration Council, the regulatory body for farriers in Great Britain, over possible minor changes to the Farriers (Registration) Act 1975. We are at the early stages of these discussions, which will include consideration of whether the definition of a horseshoe should be changed.

Pets: Animal Welfare

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when his Department plans to bring forward new standards for the advertising of the sale of companion animals in conjunction with the Pet Advertising Advisory Group.

David Heath: DEFRA has no plans to bring forward standards for the advertising for sale of pets over the internet. We support the work of the Pet Advertising Advisory Group, a non-governmental organisation of animal welfare organisations, in seeking to tackle irresponsible advertising of pet animals, working as necessary with the advertising companies concerned.

Plastics: Recycling

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of weight-based local recycling targets on investment in collection of plastic and other lightweight materials; and what plans his Department has to introduce resource-specific or carbon-based recycling targets.

Richard Benyon: There are no targets on local authorities for the collection of plastic and other light-weight materials. Centrally-imposed recycling targets on local authorities were removed to enable them to focus on local priorities.
	National waste packaging targets are intended to increase the collection and reprocessing of plastics and other packaging materials. An impact assessment for these targets suggests that investment of £221 million is needed in local authority collection to meet the future recycling targets for all materials. There is also an element of commercial waste collection, but most of the assumptions were based on the need to extract material from the household waste stream.
	DEFRA made a commitment in the Review of Waste Policy in England 2011 action plan to develop a carbon metric to report on waste management at national and local levels, alongside existing weight-based reporting. This will use existing information provided by local authorities and is not designed to form part of any target.

Plastics: Recycling

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make it his policy to compensate UK plastic packaging manufacturers if the cost of new recycling targets exceeds the level calculated in his Department's impact assessment.

Richard Benyon: We do not consider it appropriate to compensate producers obligated by the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations. Our approach to meeting the packaging recycling targets is through a system of ‘producer responsibility'. This employs the "polluter pays" principle rather than expecting taxpayers to bear the cost.

Plastics: Recycling

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how he plans to increase local collection of mixed rigid plastics to achieve his Department's 2017 plastic packaging recycling target.

Richard Benyon: The UK Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations are based on the principle of ‘producer responsibility'. They place an obligation on producers to recover and recycle a proportion of the packaging, including plastics, they place on the market.
	Through this market-based system producers can choose to meet their obligations by buying packaging recovery notes (PRNs) or making suitable arrangements for collection and recycling directly with local authorities and private waste collectors.
	The demand for PRNs will be reflected in their price and will stimulate increased collection of packaging which will, in turn, help meet the recycling targets set in the regulations.

Waste Management

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to review the criteria for the award of waste credits due to changes in his Department's waste hierarchy.

Richard Benyon: The waste hierarchy is set out in the Waste Framework Directive, which has not changed since its revision in 2008. DEFRA published guidance on the application of the hierarchy in June 2011 and the guidance contains a commitment to reviewing it after a year. We are currently in the process of doing this, and more information is available on DEFRA's website. This review does not include any plans to reconsider DEFRA's Waste Infrastructure Credits criteria.

TREASURY

Air Passenger Duty

Sarah Teather: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 26 June 2012, Official Report, columns 224-5W, on air passenger duty, what progress he has made in building international support for switching air passenger duty to a per plane basis rather than per passenger; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 16 July 2012, Official Report, column 519W.

Air Passenger Duty: Northern Ireland

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much air passenger duty was raised by passengers using airports in Northern Ireland in the last financial year for which figures are available.

Sajid Javid: HMRC does not collect information on the contribution to APD revenues made from flights to or from specific airports.
	The published statistics on APD, including information on current revenues from the duty, are available at:
	https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/Pages/TaxAndDutyBulletins.aspx

Child Trust Fund

Henry Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will permit the transfer of Child Trust Funds into Individual Savings Accounts before a child or young person's 18th birthday.

Sajid Javid: The Child Trust Fund is designed as a ‘locked in’ account and provides identical tax advantages to those available on a Junior ISA. Funds can only be removed from a CTF before the account holder turns 18 in limited circumstances, such as when the account holder is terminally ill.
	The first CTFs will not mature until 2020, when the first account holders turn 18. In good time before then, the Government will consider options to ensure that CTF account holders are not disadvantaged in comparison with Junior ISA holders, and that suitable future savings options will be available after the maturation of a CTF account.

Green Investment Bank

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on the Green Investment Bank assuming borrowing powers in 2015-16.

Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The Government are fully committed to providing the UK Green Investment Bank with the funding it needs to become a successful, enduring, green financial institution. We have made clear that the bank will be able to borrow from April 2015, subject to public sector net debt falling as a percentage of GDP. We have also given a commitment that we will seek state aid approval from the European Commission in respect of borrowing before the end of this Parliament.

Members: Correspondence

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he intends to provide a full response to the hon. Member for Harrow West's letter of 10 August 2012 regarding Mr Tandon of Harrow, further to the acknowledgement sent on 24 August.

David Gauke: HMRC replied on 22 October 2012 and apologises for the delay.

National Loan Guarantee Scheme

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses have participated in the National Loan Guarantee scheme since the inception of the scheme; and what the monetary value was of such support for businesses.

Greg Clark: Over 19,000 loans worth over £2.6 billion have been offered to businesses since the inception of the National Loan Guarantee scheme.

Non-domestic Rates

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many challenges to business rates are currently being processed by the Valuation Office Agency;
	(2)  how many outstanding appeals in relation to business rates are currently with the Valuation Office Agency;
	(3)  what is the average length of time for a business rate challenge to be processed and dealt with by the Valuation Office Agency.

David Gauke: The following table shows the latest available statistics on proposals (appeals) to alter the 2005 and 2010 rating lists. The numbers provided cover England and Wales and are for the latest complete financial year.
	Figures for the average time taken to clear challenges are not comparable across rating lists as each list is at a different stage in its lifecycle.
	Statistics for earlier time periods can be found in the Local Rating Lists: Challenges section on the VOA website, at the following link:
	http://www.voa.gov.uk/corporate/publications/statisticsCentralLocalRating.html
	
		
			  Rating List 
			 Challenges 2005 2010 
			 Unresolved(1) 31 March 2011 113,000 220,650 
			 Received(1) 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 5,170 169,610 
			 Cleared(1) 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 41,750 148,550 
			 Unresolved(1) 31 March 2012 76,410 241,700 
			 Median time to clear (days) 31 March 2012 301 322 
			 (1) VOA Official Statistics, Local Rating Lists: Challenges, May 2012: http://www.voa.gov.uk/corporate/statisticalReleases/120503-localRatingListChallenges.html

Poverty

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will make an assessment of the effect on (a) child poverty and (b) other household poverty in (i) Scotland and (ii) the United Kingdom of the freezing of (A) in work benefits and (B) out-of-work benefits in each of the next two financial years;
	(2)  if he will make an assessment of the effect on rates of poverty among unemployed people in (a) Scotland and (b) the United Kingdom of the freezing of jobseeker's allowance in each of the next two financial years;
	(3)  if he will make an assessment of the effect on rates of poverty among disabled people in (a) Scotland and (b) the United Kingdom of the freezing of disability living allowance in each of the next two financial years.

Steve Webb: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.
	The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the right hon. Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), has yet to commence his review of benefit rates for 2013-14, following the publication of the relevant inflation indices in October. Decisions on these will be taken in due course.
	The information requested is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Public Expenditure

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the fiscal multiplier value used by the Office for Budget Responsibility.

Sajid Javid: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) was created in 2010 to provide independent and authoritative analysis of the UK's public finances. It is for the OBR to produce forecasts for the economy and public finances.

Revenue and Customs: Northern Ireland

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) Protestant, (b) Roman Catholic and (c) non-determined appointees there were to HM Revenue and Customs in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years.

David Gauke: In the last three years there has been very little external recruitment within Northern Ireland to HM Revenue and Customs, with only two staff being appointed in 2009-10 and two in 2011-12, No recruitment took place during 2010-11. Of the four staff recruited during this three-year period only one has made a declaration that they are Protestant. The other three staff have yet to make a declaration with regard to their community background.
	In the same period a total of 21 staff relocated to Northern Ireland from posts within the UK mainland. Of these 21 staff, one has declared that they are Protestant, three have declared themselves to be Catholic, while 17 have yet to make a community background declaration.
	HMRC currently employs 1,942 staff in Northern Ireland, 92.17% of whom have made a community background declaration. Of those that have made a declaration, 54.97% are Catholic and 45.03% are Protestant.

Terrorism

John Spellar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what work his Department is undertaking with other (a) Government Departments and agencies and (b) Governments to evaluate and disrupt the financial infrastructure of terrorist and criminal networks.

Greg Clark: The Treasury works very closely with a number of other Government Departments and agencies to detect, disrupt and deter terrorist financing and financial and organised crime, and plays a key role in this work. The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury is joint chair of the Terrorist Financing Action Group with the Home Office's Security Minister, which directs Government-wide efforts to counter terrorist financing. The Treasury also works closely with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and others in negotiating and implementing United Nations assets freezes against those associated with al-Qaeda, and in use of UK asset freezing powers under the Terrorist Asset Freezing etc. Act.
	The Treasury has strong bilateral relationships with key international partners on financial crime and counter-terrorism. The Treasury plays a key role in international fora and heads the UK delegation to the Financial Action Task Force, the global standard-setting body for anti-money laundering, counter-terrorism financing and counter-proliferation financing, of which the UK is a founder member and former president. As part of this work, the Treasury has played a leading role in holding countries to account for their deficiencies in relation to counter-terrorist financing, including by participating in high-level visits on behalf of the Financial Action Task Force and providing bilateral technical assistance. The UK is also a member of a number of Financial Action Task Force's regional bodies, focusing on high-risk regions including the Middle East/North Africa and East Africa. Through these fora, the UK has played a critical role in supporting progress to counter the risks posed by terrorist financing networks: for example, in assisting Kenya in seeking to address its Financial Action Task Force deficiencies and more effectively address the risks posed by Al-Shabaab. The Treasury will continue to support work across Government, in conjunction with the Home Office, to evaluate and disrupt the financial infrastructure of terrorist and criminal networks.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many explosions caused by improvised explosive devices were recorded by the armed forces in Afghanistan in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Andrew Robathan: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Data are more readily available for the Task Force Helmand area of operations in Helmand province, which includes the majority of UK forces deployed to Afghanistan. It should be noted that this area of operations has not stayed constant during the period in question.
	The following figures refer to IED explosions that have been subsequently reported by International Security Assistance Force units operating within the Task Force Helmand area of operations. This includes both 'laid' IEDs and suicide (both vehicle and person borne) devices.
	
		
			  IED explosions 
			 2010 665 
			 2011 554 
			 2012 (up to 30 September) 547 
		
	
	The data are based on information derived from a number of sources and can only be an estimate, not least because of the challenges of collating statistics in a complex fast-moving multinational operational environment.

Aircraft Carriers

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the dimensions of the deck lifts will be on the Queen Elizabeth class carriers.

Philip Dunne: The deck lifts on the Queen Elizabeth class carriers are sized so as to accommodate up to two Lightning II aircraft, or one Chinook helicopter with its rotors spread, at any one time.

Aircraft Carriers

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the significance is of the split tower design in the Queen Elizabeth class carriers.

Philip Dunne: Two main factors influenced design of the towers for the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers: survivability and spatial demand. In order to maximise the survivability of the power generation system, and make efficient use of the deck space, an innovative twin island design was used. This has allowed the forward island to be situated in the optimal position for ship control and navigation, and, similarly, the aft island is best placed to conduct flight deck operations.

Aircraft Carriers

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate his Department has made of the running cost of a second Queen Elizabeth class carrier.

Philip Dunne: The in-service support solution for the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers is still in development, with a decision expected around the middle of this decade. The final decision on the use of the second carrier is expected as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review in 2015.

Apache Helicopters

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence by what date the Apache helicopter fleet will be upgraded to fire the Brimstone missile.

Philip Dunne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the then Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, the hon. Member for Mid Worcestershire (Peter Luff), on 10 July 2012, Official Report, column 195W.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many BsS10 Viking armoured vehicles he plans to upgrade; what the total cost of the upgrade will be; and where the upgrade work will take place.

Philip Dunne: On 28 September 2012, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) awarded a £37.5 million regeneration contract to BAE Systems Hagglunds for the upgrade of 99 BsS10 Viking all-terrain vehicles. The upgrade work will be carried out at the company's armoured vehicle production line at Örnsköldsvik in Sweden where the vehicles were originally assembled.
	Additional work will also be undertaken to add Bowman communications to the vehicles, the contract for which has yet to be competed. I am withholding the planned contract costs, as their disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the Warthog armoured vehicles bought as an urgent operational requirement in Afghanistan.

Philip Dunne: No decision has been taken as to whether Warthog will be retained at the end of the current operation. While I expect that many of the armoured and protected vehicles which have proven so effective in Afghanistan will remain in service beyond the end of operations in Afghanistan, it is for the Army to determine the precise composition of future armoured vehicle fleets to support its commitments and future capability requirements for Future Force 2020.

Atos

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2012, Official Report, column 650W, on Atos, whether he has made an estimate of the level of profit Atos will make from each contract; and what the likely level of profit is for each.

Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has four contracts with Atos. No estimates have been made by the MOD as to the level of profit Atos will make from each contract or of what the likely level of profit is for each.

Challenger Tanks

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the total cost of the life extension programme of the Challenger 2 Tank.

Philip Dunne: The Challenger 2 life extension programme is currently in the concept phase with the main investment decision planned for 2017, when the cost of the programme will be confirmed. The Ministry of Defence does not publish the planned costs of programmes before this point, as their disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

Defence Procurement

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on joint European equipment acquisition projects in each year since 2007.

Philip Dunne: The information requested is annually collated by the European Defence Agency (EDA) and publicly available on its website:
	http://www.eda.europa.eu/defencedata

Defence Technology Centres

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where each Defence Technology Centre is located; and how many people each such centre employs.

Philip Dunne: The Defence Technology Centres were not physical centres but contractual constructs, the first of which launched in 2003 and the last of which ended in 2012. They enabled the Ministry of Defence to conduct research in collaboration with defence industry primes, small and medium-sized enterprises and academia. There are no central records as to how many people were employed through these contracts.

European Fighter Aircraft

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for how long the Typhoon aircraft is expected to stay in service.

Philip Dunne: The planned out-of-service date of the Typhoon aircraft is 2030.

Fleet Air Arm

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Naval pilots are badged to the Fleet Air Arm for (a) rotary and (b) fixed-wing aircraft.

Andrew Robathan: As at 4 September 2012, the latest date for which information is available, there were 635 Royal Navy pilots in the Fleet Air Arm, of which 123 were under training; 597 are rotary-wing pilots and 38 are fixed-wing pilots.

Gibraltar: Spain

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Guardia Civil vessels do not enter British Gibraltar territory.

Andrew Robathan: One of the Ministry of Defence's roles in Gibraltar is to help maintain the United Kingdom's sovereignty. In support of this, the Royal Navy challenges all unlawful maritime incursions, including those by the Guardia Civil. These challenges are subsequently pursued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office through formal diplomatic protests to the Spanish Government.

Guided Weapons

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who is responsible for missile procurement for each of the armed services.

Philip Dunne: The procurement of all missiles for the UK armed forces is the responsibility of Director of Weapons in the Defence Equipment and Support organisation, in response to the funding and other requirements set by the Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Military Capability).

HMS Ocean

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made in the refit of HMS Ocean; and when she will return to front-line service.

Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence is negotiating a contract for the forthcoming third major upkeep and support period of HMS Ocean. An announcement will be made in due course.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many F35 joint strike fighters will be purchased in the second tranche; and what variant they will be.

Philip Dunne: holding answer 18 October 2012
	The final number of F35 aircraft will not be determined before the next planned Strategic Defence and Security Review in 2015.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what weapon systems will be used on the F35-B.

Philip Dunne: holding answer 18 October 2012
	The joint strike Fighter F35B aircraft will be equipped with a range of advanced air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons, the exact mix of which will be optimised to reflect the operational requirement.

Libya: Military Intervention

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effects on air worthiness of the Apache helicopters flown from HMS Ocean during Operation Ellamy.

Philip Dunne: The Apache helicopters used on Operational Ellamy were modified and cleared to support maritime operations prior to their deployment on HMS Ocean. The modifications made were to improve their resistance to corrosion and to include a solution to disperse sea spray in the windscreen wiper system. They underwent pre-deployment maintenance and inspections and, on return to the UK, usual post-embarkation maintenance was conducted as well as an additional aircraft condition survey. Any corrosion experienced was within normal tolerance levels and the aircraft remained fully airworthy; this corrosion has now been treated. Deployed aircraft will continue to be monitored during routine maintenance activities.

Marchwood Sea Mounting Centre

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 12 July 2012, Official Report, columns 41-2WS, on Marchwood Sea Mounting Centre, what his most recent estimate is for the commercial value of this facility; what the timetable is for its sale; and which private companies have met (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department to discuss the sale.

Philip Dunne: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my predecessor, the hon. Member for Mid Worcestershire (Peter Luff), on 12 July 2012, Official Report, column 42W, in which he updated the House on the sale plan for Marchwood Sea Mounting Centre. We remain committed to a sale in the current spending review period and advisors are due to be appointed shortly.
	I have had no discussions with potential purchasers of the Marchwood site. My officials, during the market testing and in assessing the market interest in the site, have met a range of companies. However, I am withholding the names of companies as disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.
	I am withholding the information on the MOD's estimated value of the site as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

Marchwood Sea Mounting Centre

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 12 July 2012, Official Report, columns 41-2WS, on Marchwood Sea Mounting Centre, if his Department is considering the use of a private finance initiative contract in the sale of this facility.

Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence is not actively pursuing a private finance initiative contract. However, if market conditions were to change and it offered a more appropriate method than sale and leaseback, then the MOD would consider its use.

Marchwood Sea Mounting Centre

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 12 July 2012, Official Report, columns 41-2WS, on Marchwood Sea Mounting Centre, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the sale of Marchwood Sea Mounting Centre.

Philip Dunne: Defence Ministers routinely discuss potential asset sales with their colleagues in other Government Departments, including the Marchwood Sea Mounting Centre. However, no meeting dedicated to this subject has taken place with the Chancellor.

Military Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the flightworthiness of the Tutor aircraft.

Philip Dunne: The Grob Tutor is a contractor-provided civil registered aircraft, operating in the elementary flying tri-service training role. The airworthiness of all aircraft fleets is kept under constant review.
	There have been two recent periods where, as a precautionary measure, Tutor flying was temporarily suspended to enable the full investigation and safety assessment of unrelated and isolated issues with the aircraft.
	Tutor flying was temporarily suspended on 28 July 2012 and resumed on 7 August 2012 to enable the assessment of an issue with aircrew harnesses. Tutor flying was again temporarily suspended on 23 August 2012 and resumed on 4 October 2012 to enable the assessment of an isolated incident with the propeller of one aircraft.
	The military chain of command in conjunction with the contractor and the civil regulatory authorities conducted a full review of the safety evidence relating to the Grob Tutor for both these issues. In both cases engineering instructions were issued and no safety concerns remain. Routine flying with the Tutor fleet resumed on 4 October 2012 without restriction.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the authority of Joint Helicopter Command in co-ordinating the training and deployment of rotary platforms across the three services; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Dunne: The 1998 Strategic Defence Review established the Joint Helicopter Command (JHC) as the single authority for command, training and force generation of all battlefield helicopters. It was decided that Fleet Headquarters, the predecessor to Navy Command, would perform an equivalent role for all maritime helicopters. JHC was placed under command of Headquarters Land because the primary output of battlefield helicopters is in the Land environment.
	In 2011, the Defence Rotary Wing Capability Study re-examined command and control of all Rotary Wing forces across Defence and reaffirmed that the existing roles of JHC and Navy Command should continue in this respect.

Military Exercises

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) assets and (b) number of service personnel will take part in exercises (i) Corsican Lion and (ii) Cougar 12; and if he will estimate the cost to the public purse in each case.

Andrew Robathan: Cougar 12, a Response Force Task Group deployment, will involve valuable training and amphibious capability with two large-scale and various multilateral exercises with assets from other nations throughout the Mediterranean, including with the French on Exercise Corsican Lion. The UK assets are as follows:
	HMS Bulwark; HMS Illustrious; HMS Montrose; HMS Northumberland; RFA Mounts Bay; MV Hartland Point.
	Headquarters 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines; 45 Commando Royal Marines; 539 Assault Squadron Royal Marines; and elements of: 30 Commando IX Group; Commando Logistics Regiment; Assault Squadron Group Royal Marines; 24 Commando Engineer Regiment; and 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery.
	Aircraft from: 814 Naval Air Squadron (Merlin Helicopters); 815 Naval Air Squadron(Lynx Helicopters); 829 Naval Air Squadron (Merlin Helicopters); 845 Naval Air Squadron (Sea King Helicopters—Commando carrying); 846 Naval Air Squadron (Sea King Helicopters—Commando Carrying); 854 Naval Air Squadron (Sea King Helicopters—airborne surveillance and control); 656 Squadron Army Air Corps (Apache attack helicopters); 659 Squadron Army Air Corps (Lynx helicopters); 18 Squadron Royal Air Force(Chinook helicopters).
	17 Port and Maritime Regiment Royal Logistic Corps.
	The total number of UK service personnel deployed on Cougar 12 is 2,700. The costs for the Cougar 12 deployment are assessed as core activity and are not captured separately.

Territorial Army

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Territorial Army (TA) units there are in Scotland; how many members there are in each such unit; and how many members of TA units based in Scotland have been deployed to Afghanistan.

Andrew Robathan: The number of Territorial Army (TA) units in Scotland and their current members is shown in the following table. The table also includes the number of all TA personnel currently serving in these units who are recorded as having deployed. Those who have previously deployed but since left the TA have not been included as this information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Unit name Total personnel Total deployed on Op Herrick 
			 Major TA units 6th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland 270 50 
			  7th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland 350 80 
			  71 Engineer Regiment 300 30 
			  105 Regiment Royal Artillery 180 20 
			  205 Field Hospital 140 50 
			  225 Medical Regiment 140 20 
			  32 Signal Regiment 130 — 
			  The Scottish Transport Regiment 260 10 
			  Aberdeen University Officer Training Corps 130 — 
			  Edinburgh University Officer Training Corps 110 — 
			  Glasgow University Officer Training Corps 130 — 
			  Tayforth University Officer Training Corps 130 — 
			  Army Training Unit(1) 50 10 
			     
			 Geographically independent sub units(2) 153 Field Company 102 Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 60 — 
			  125 Rations Squadron and Fitter Squadron 159 Supply Regiment Royal Logistics Corps (Volunteers) 40 20 
			  2 Signal Squadron and Light Aid Detachment 38 Signal Regiment 60 — 
			  A (15) Company 4 Parachute Regiment 140 30 
			  52 Military Intelligence Company 5 Military Intelligence Battalion 30 10 
			  243 Provost Company 5 Royal Military Police 60 20 
			  Queens Own Yeomanry A Squadron 50 10 
			  Queens Own Yeomanry C Squadron 60 10 
			 Total  2,820 370 
			 (1) Formerly known as Regional Training Centre. (2) Sub units in Scotland which belong to units headquartered elsewhere in the UK. Note: All figures rounded to the nearest 10.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what drone technology is being procured for the Royal Navy; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence is currently running a competition to meet an urgent operational requirement to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability for the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships.
	The solution may be met using an unmanned air system.

Voyager Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the first RAF Voyager aircraft will be certified by the UK Ministry of Defence Military Aviation Authority to dispense fuel.

Philip Dunne: Voyager KC Mk2, a modified Airbus A330-200 aircraft type, entered service with the RAF in the air transport and aeromedical roles earlier this year. Trials are continuing for the aircraft in its air-to-air refuelling role. The Military Aviation Authority will consider certification of the Voyager KC Mk2 in its air-to-air refuelling role when the project team has presented the relevant evidence.

Wildcat Helicopters

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what weapons system will be deployable from the version of the Wildcat helicopter operated by (a) the Army and (b) the Royal Navy.

Philip Dunne: The Army Variant of the Lynx Wildcat helicopter will be equipped with the general purpose machine gun 7.62 mm and heavy machine gun 12.7 mm.
	The Royal Navy Variant of the Wildcat helicopter will be equipped with the Sting Ray Torpedo; the Mk 11 Depth charge; the general purpose machine gun; heavy machine gun; and the future anti-surface guided weapon.
	The difference between the weapon systems to be fitted to each Variant reflects the different operational roles the aircraft are being procured to meet.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Atos

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 14 June 2012, Official Report, column 567W, on Atos, whether she has made an estimate of the level of profit Atos will make from each contract; and what the likely level of profit is in each case.

Hugh Robertson: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has made no estimate of the level of profit Atos has made on any contractor, nor calculated the likely level of profits. This is not something that the Department routinely does, and estimating profits in this way would prove difficult due to commercial sensitivities.

Commonwealth Institute

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much funding from the public purse has been spent on the maintenance of the Commonwealth Institute building in each of the last five years; and if she will make further funding available for this purpose.

Edward Vaizey: No funding has been provided by my Department or its sponsored bodies during the period in question. English Heritage has, however, worked closely with all the relevant parties, utilising its constructive conservation principles, to find a new use for the building which will bring it off the ‘at risk’ register and retain it as a public institution. The new Design Museum, which will be the world's leading museum of its kind, is expected to open at the Commonwealth Institute in 2015. It has been designed by John Pawson and construction work began in September 2012.

Correspondence

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to improve her Department's performance with regard to replying to correspondence from (a) the public and (b) hon. Members; and if she will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: Since June 2010, the Department has focused on improving responses to both letters directly from the public and from hon. Members, monitoring performance to 48 hours.
	In addition, from 1 January 2012, the Department reduced the target time to respond to correspondence from hon. Members, from 20 working days to 10 working days.
	Improvements have been achieved by introducing systems for electronic processing and reducing the time spent on drafting and clearing.
	In 2011-12, the Department responded to 80% of letters from the public in 48 hours.
	The Department's performance with regard to responses to hon. Members in 2011 was published on 15 March 2012, Official Report, columns 31-33WS.

Creative Partnerships

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport who the beneficiaries were of the Creative Partnership Programme in each parliamentary constituency in the last year for which figures are available.

Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport did not directly administer the Creative Partnership Programme, and therefore does not hold any such figures. However, Arts Council England administered the programme until the financial year 2008-09—the last year in which details of beneficiaries were collected by the Arts Council. The Arts Council has provided a list of beneficiaries by organisation and region (beneficiaries were not recorded by parliamentary constituency) and copies of this will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Cultural Heritage

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to prevent stolen antiquities being sold in the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: The UK takes the issue of illicit trade in cultural goods very seriously and is continuously working to combat this type of trafficking. Although the art trade is not directly regulated, there is a regulatory framework, consisting of primary and secondary legislation introduced by successive Governments since 1979, which impacts upon art and antiques dealers. In particular, the Dealing in Cultural Objects (Offences) Act 2003 makes it an offence for any person dishonestly to deal in a cultural object that is tainted, knowing or believing that the object is tainted. Any person found guilty of the offence is liable on conviction in the Crown court to imprisonment for up to seven years and/or an unlimited fine, and on conviction in the magistrates court to a maximum of six month imprisonment and/or a fine up to £5,000.
	The Metropolitan police's arts and antiques unit gathers intelligence on art crime and conducts proactive operations using specialist knowledge for investigations ranging from art faking and forgery to theft and money laundering.

Government Art Collection

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many items from the Government Art Collection have been loaned to public galleries in each of the last 10 years; and how many items from the collection are located in (a) departmental offices, (b) ministerial residences, (c) offices of non-departmental public bodies, (d) public galleries, (e) diplomatic missions overseas, (f) storage and (g) other locations.

Edward Vaizey: The number of items from the Government Art Collection (GAC) that have been lent to public galleries in each of the last 10 years can be found in the following table:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2003-04 20 
			 2004-05 14 
			 2005-06 3 
			 2006-07 20 
			 2007-08 31 
			 2008-09 34 
			 2009-10 29 
			 2010-11 20 
			 2011-12 171 
			 2012-date 33 
		
	
	Current long-term loans to public galleries are in (d) as follows.
	The current location of items from GAC is as follows:
	(a) Departmental offices: 2644
	(b) Ministerial residences: 205
	(c) NDPBs: 133
	(d) Public galleries: 96
	(e) Diplomatic missions overseas: 5160
	(f) Storage: 4,836—this figure is the number of works of art currently on the GAC's premises or at conservation/framing or commercial storage. The figure includes 641 works of art currently on reserve for various locations, including almost 200 for the GAC's forthcoming touring exhibition Revealed: Government Art Collection. There is also currently a high number of works of art on the premises from various Whitehall departments pending accommodation moves.
	(g) Other locations; 731

HMS Victory

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many interested parties she met to discuss HMS Victory 1774 prior to a decision being made to gift the historic site to the Maritime Heritage Foundation.

Edward Vaizey: Ministers at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport did not meet any interested parties to discuss HMS Victory 1744 prior to the Government's decision to gift the site to the Maritime Heritage Foundation in their capacity as Government Ministers. Following the public consultation in March 2010, the then Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), met with Lord Ungfield, Chairman of the Maritime Heritage Foundation, in July 2010 in his constituency in his capacity as MP for South West Surrey.

Ministerial Policy Advisers

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the total budget cost was to her Department of special advisers in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and what estimate she has made of likely costs in (i) 2012-13, (ii) 2013-14 and (iii) 2014-15.

Hugh Robertson: In 2010-11, the total cost of special advisers was £132,600.
	In 2011-12, the total cost of special advisers was £161,350. Estimated future costs for 2012-13 and 2014-15 for special advisers remain at this level.

Music: Pilot Schemes

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent assessment she has made of her Department's 14 pilot music rehearsal spaces in meeting their objectives of (a) addressing social issues, (b) developing grass-roots talent and (c) nurturing creativity in a broad range of music disciplines.

Edward Vaizey: UK Music, the umbrella organisation representing the collective interests of Britain's commercial music industry, now has responsibility for the pilot music rehearsal spaces. A report into the spaces has been commissioned by Sound Connections and will be published in November 2012. This report is a retrospective survey looking back over the project from 2009, it will cover, where data are available, aspects including usage, reach and impact. Sound Connections is an independent organisation focused on helping the delivery of high- quality music making and is responsible for managing the rehearsal space contracts with local authorities. UK Music is currently developing a strategy for the future of the spaces with the help of the UK Music Board, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Music, and Rock the House.

Music: Pilot Schemes

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many people (a) under 12, (b) between 13 and 15, (c) between 16 and 25 and (d) over 25 years attended each of her Department's 14 pilot music rehearsal spaces between 2009 and 2012 to date.

Edward Vaizey: UK Music, the umbrella organisation representing the collective interests of Britain's commercial music industry, now has responsibility for the pilot music rehearsal spaces. A report into the spaces has been commissioned by Sound Connections and will be published in November 2012. This report is a retrospective survey looking back over the project from 2009, it will cover, where data are available, aspects including usage, reach and impact. Sound Connections is an independent organisation focused on helping the delivery of high quality music-making and is responsible for managing the rehearsal space contracts with local authorities. UK Music is currently developing a strategy for the future of the spaces with the help of the UK Music Board, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Music, and Rock the House.

Music: Pilot Schemes

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many people under the age of 30 attended each of her Department's 14 pilot music rehearsal spaces in (a) 2009, (b) 2010, (c) 2011 and (d) 2012 to date.

Edward Vaizey: UK Music, the umbrella organisation representing the collective interests of Britain's commercial music industry, now has responsibility for the pilot music rehearsal spaces. A report into the spaces has been commissioned by Sound Connections and will be published in November 2012. This report is a retrospective survey looking back over the project from 2009, it will cover, where data are available, aspects including usage, reach and impact. Sound Connections is an independent organisation focused on helping the delivery of high quality music-making and is responsible for managing the rehearsal space contracts with local authorities. UK Music is currently developing a strategy for the future of the spaces with the help of the UK Music Board, the All Party Parliamentary Group on Music and Rock the House.

Music: Pilot Schemes

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to secure the long-term future of its 14 pilot music rehearsal spaces.

Edward Vaizey: UK Music, the umbrella organisation representing the collective interests of Britain's commercial music industry, now has responsibility for the pilot music rehearsal spaces. A report into the spaces has been commissioned by Sound Connections and will be published in November 2012. This report is a retrospective survey looking back over the project from 2009, it will cover, where data are available, aspects including usage, reach and impact, Sound Connections is an independent organisation focused on helping the delivery of high quality music-making and is responsible for managing the rehearsal space contracts with local authorities. UK Music is currently developing a strategy for the future of the spaces with the help of the UK Music Board, the AH Party Parliamentary Group on Music and Rock the House.

Nick King

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the previous employment was of her special adviser Nick King.

Hugh Robertson: holding answer 19 October 2012
	Nick King has been appointed as a special adviser to Ministers in the Department for Culture Media and Sport and will start on 22 October 2012. Other than what is available in the public domain about his previous employment, the records held by the Department are considered to be personal data.

Public Libraries

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the total stock of books owned by each London borough's library service was in each year since 1997.

Edward Vaizey: Information on total book stock in each London borough since 1997 is available in the annual public library statistics published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA). I am arranging for a copy of the specific information the hon. Member has requested to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps her Department has taken to prepare for the introduction of the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012.

Hugh Robertson: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is working to ensure that the requirements of the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 are embedded within our organisation, strategy and culture. We are reviewing our contracting procedures and policy with reference to this duty. We are considering the Department's outward facing guidance and will ensure that it contains reference to the Act. We will also ensure this guidance is published on our website, to assist tenderers interested in bidding for departmental contracts.

Swimming Pools: Greater Manchester

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if she will provide additional ring-fenced funding for (a) Denton and (b) Dukinfield swimming pools.

Hugh Robertson: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) does not fund sports projects, clubs or facilities directly. DCMS sets the policy framework for sport funding decisions. Day-to-day decision-making on the distribution of funding for sport and physical activity is the responsibility of our funding bodies—Sport England and UK Sport. Over the next five years, Sport England will invest £45 million of national lottery funding into medium-sized projects—such as swimming pool improvement—through the improvement fund to improve the quality and experience of sport. Successful applicants will need to demonstrate a strategic need for swimming pool provision in the local area. Details of how to apply are on the Sport England website:
	http://www.sportengland.org/

Television: Sports

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment her Department has made of the financial implications of increased competition created by the digital switchover in the bidding process for television rights for free-to-air listed sports events.

Edward Vaizey: The Department has made no such assessment. The bidding process for television rights is a commercial matter between the broadcasters and the owners of those rights (usually the sports' national governing bodies) and therefore the Secretary of State does not play a role in this process. As the final stage of digital switchover approaches, Ofcom is reviewing the channels that would qualify to show listed events, and expects to make a statement in due course.

Television: Sports

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport when she plans to (a) start and (b) conclude the review of sport events which are listed as free-to-air.

Edward Vaizey: There are no plans to review the list of free-to-air sports events at the current time. In 2010, the Government made the decision to defer the review of listed events, begun by the previous Government, until 2013 following the completion of digital switchover. The current list of events remains in force.

Television: Sports

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport which broadcasters (a) are qualified broadcasters for the purpose of free-to-air sporting events and (b) are expected to be considered as qualified broadcasters after the completion of digital switchover.

Edward Vaizey: The information is as follows:
	(a) Until digital switchover, the qualifying broadcasters are BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, Channel 4 and FIVE.
	(b) This is an operational matter for the independent regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom). As the final stage of digital switchover approaches, Ofcom is reviewing the channels that would qualify to show listed events, and expects to make a statement in due course.

JUSTICE

Burglary

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average number of previous convictions was for each offender found guilty of domestic burglary in each year since 1994.

Jeremy Wright: The following table shows the average number of previous convictions for all recordable offences held by offenders convicted of domestic burglary (burglary within a dwelling) in each year from 2000 to 2011.
	
		
			 Table: Average number of previous convictions held by offenders convicted of domestic burglary (burglary within a dwelling) in each year from 2000-11 
			 Offence Year Average number previous convictions(2) 
			 Domestic burglary(1) 2000(3) 8.1 
		
	
	
		
			  2001 8.6 
			  2002 9.3 
			  2003 9.9 
			  2004 10 
			  2005 9.7 
			  2006 9.5 
			  2007 9.8 
			  2008 10.8 
			  2009 10.9 
			  2010 11.5 
			  2011 12.5 
			 (1) Domestic burglary offences defined as: (a) Theft Act 1968 Sec.9 Burglary in a dwelling with intent to commit or the commission of an offence triable only on indictment (b) Theft Act 1968 Sec.9 Burglary in a dwelling with violence or the threat of violence (c) Theft Act 1968 Sec.9 Other burglary in a dwelling. (2) The figures presented here have been taken from the Police National Computer (PNC), they may differ from the figures taken from the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) court proceedings database because the PNC is a live operational database and the number of records is subject to update when more information becomes available to police. (3) Please note that the PNC only became operational in the year 2000 and we do not hold reliable or accurate information prior to this date. Source: Police National Computer, Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	These figures are a further breakdown of table A7.5 in “Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly Update to December 2011” which was published on 24 May 2012. The full report can be found at the link:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/statistics/criminal-justice-stats/criminal-justice-stats-dec-2011.pdf
	These figures have been drawn from the police's administrative IT system, the police national computer, which, as with any large-scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.

Burglary

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people found guilty of domestic burglary had (a) no, (b) between one and five, (c) between six and 10, (d) between 11 and 20 and (e) over 20 previous convictions in each year since 1994.

Jeremy Wright: The following table shows the number of previous convictions for all recordable offences held by people convicted of domestic burglary (burglary within a dwelling) in each year from 2000 to 2011 and summarised into the categories of zero, one to five, six to 10, 11 to 20 and over 20.
	
		
			 Number of previous convictions held by people convicted of domestic burglary 
			   Number of previous convictions(1) 
			 Offence Year(3) 0 1 to 5 6 to 10 11 to 20 20 + 
			 Domestic Burglary(2) 2000 2,332 5,924 3,866 3,702 1,466 
			  2001 2,191 4,942 3,554 3,666 1,532 
			  2002 1,998 5,062 3,496 4,273 1,836 
			  2003 1,958 4,672 3,279 4,342 2,147 
			  2004 2,026 4,574 2,825 3,903 2,159 
			  2005 2,205 4,730 2,451 3,521 2,192 
			  2006 2,301 4,957 2,496 3,421 2,163 
		
	
	
		
			  2007 2,098 5,090 2,536 3,445 2,344 
			  2008 1,790 4,803 2,585 3,752 2,718 
			  2009 1,756 4,843 2,485 3,576 2,755 
			  2010 1,608 4,682 2,489 3,566 3,098 
			  2011 1,576 4,301 2,372 3,623 3,437 
			 (1) The figures presented here have been taken from the Police National Computer (PNC), they may differ from the figures taken from the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) court proceedings database because the PNC is a live operational database and the number of records is subject to update when more information becomes available to police. (2) Domestic burglary offences defined as: (a) Theft Act 1968 Sec.9 Burglary in a dwelling with intent to commit or the commission of an offence triable only on indictment. (b) Theft Act 1968 Sec.9 Burglary in a dwelling with violence or the threat of violence. (c) Theft Act 1968 Sec.9 Other burglary in a dwelling. (3) Please note that the PNC only became operational in the year 2000 and we do not hold reliable or accurate information prior to this date. Source: Police National Computer, Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	These figures are a further breakdown of table A7.5 in ‘Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly Update to December 2011’ which was published on 24 May 2012. The full report can be found at the following link:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/statistics/criminal-justice-stats/criminal-justice-stats-dec-2011.pdf
	These figures have been drawn from the police's administrative IT system, the police national computer, which, as with any large scale-recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.

Burglary

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many people found guilty of committing domestic burglary received a custodial sentence of (a) up to and including one month, (b) over one month and up to and including two months, (c) over two months and up to and including three months, (d) over three months and up to and including six months, (e) over six months and up to and including a year, (f) over a year and up to and including two years, (g) over two years and up to and including five years and (h) over five years in each year since 1994;
	(2)  what the average length of sentence handed down was of those found guilty of committing domestic burglary and who received a custodial sentence in each year since 1994;
	(3)  how many people found guilty of domestic burglary received each type of non-custodial sentence in each year since 1994;
	(4)  how many people found guilty of committing domestic burglary received a (a) non-custodial or (b) custodial sentence in each year since 1994;
	(5)  how many people found guilty of committing domestic burglary were aged (a) up to 18, (b) between 18 and 21, (c) between 22 and 25, (d) between 26 and 35, (e) between 36 and 50, (f) between 51 and 65 and (g) 66 and over in each year since 1994;
	(6)  what the average age was of those found guilty of committing domestic burglary in each year since 1994;
	(7)  how many people received indeterminate sentences of imprisonment for public protection for each type of offence in (a) 2009, (b) 2010 and (c) 2011;
	(8)  how many people were found guilty of committing domestic burglary in each year since 1994;
	(9)  how many home owners have been convicted after defending their property against burglars in each year since 1994; and for what offences such convictions were made in each year.

Jeremy Wright: The number of defendants found guilty, sentenced, by result, and the average custodial sentence length (months) and the sentence length breakdown given at all courts for burglary in a dwelling, in England and Wales from 1994 to 2011, can be viewed in Tables 1 and 1a.
	The number of defendants found guilty at all courts for burglary in a dwelling offence, by age breakdown and the average age, in England and Wales from 1994 to 2011, can be viewed in Table 2.
	Persons sentenced to imprisonment for public protection at all courts by offence group in England and Wales from 2009 to 2011 can be viewed in Table 3.
	Information held centrally by the Ministry of Justice on the Court Proceedings Database does not contain information about the circumstances behind each case, beyond the description provided in the statute under which proceedings are brought. It is not possible to identify from this centrally-held information whether a defendant proceeded against for an offence is a home owner.
	
		
			 Table 1: Defendants found guilty and sentenced, by result, at all courts for burglary in a dwelling offences(1), England and Wales, 1994 to 2011(2, 3) 
			 Number 
			  1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
			 Guilty 18,522 18,245 17,064 17,870 17,306 16,387 14,471 13,684 14,622 
			 Sentenced(4) 18,573 18,392 17,364 17,938 17,797 16,833 15,222 13,866 14,728 
			 Absolute discharge 34 29 24 22 22 19 12 19 25 
			 Conditional discharge 1,278 1,128 951 854 818 652 471 286 226 
		
	
	
		
			 Fine 662 558 438 340 323 280 173 145 129 
			 Community sentence 7,924 7,378 6,295 6,257 6,228 5,512 4,824 4,638 5,255 
			 Fully suspended 122 106 113 110 120 114 90 74 77 
			 Immediate custody 8,398 9,061 9,419 10,234 10,124 10,092 9,490 8,473 8,875 
			 Otherwise dealt with 155 132 124 121 162 164 162 231 141 
			           
			 Average custodial sentence length (months)(5) 13 13.9 16.3 18.7 18.5 18.9 19.2 20.4 21.8 
		
	
	
		
			 Number 
			  2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008(6) 2009 2010 2011 
			 Guilty 14,540 13,503 12,820 12,442 13,138 13,471 13,355 14,296 14,450 
			 Sentenced(4) 14,568 13,772 12,857 12,483 13,143 13,473 13,297 14,172 14,362 
			 Absolute discharge 35 36 39 33 27 24 10 8 9 
			 Conditional discharge 243 238 234 205 224 205 111 133 103 
			 Fine 118 100 89 85 117 82 34 47 36 
			 Community sentence 6,118 6,128 5,807 4,844 4,961 4,671 4,469 4,467 4,128 
			 Fully suspended 86 68 191 1,007 1,469 1,503 1,416 1,584 1,568 
			 Immediate custody 7,831 7,066 6,357 6,116 6,172 6,696 7,120 7,574 8,261 
			 Otherwise dealt with 137 136 140 193 173 292 137 359 257 
			 Average custodial sentence length (months)(5) 21.7 22.1 21.8 21.1 20.8 21.9 22.3 22.6 23.1 
			 (1) Includes offences under sections 9 and 10 of the Theft Act 1968: Burglary in a dwelling with intent to commit an offence; Burglary in a dwelling with violence or the threat of violence; Other burglary in a dwelling; Aggravated burglary in a dwelling (including attempts). (2 )The figures on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (4) The number of offenders sentenced can differ from those found guilty as it may be the case that a defendant found guilty in a particular year, and committed for sentence at the Crown court, may be sentenced in the following year. (5) Excludes life and indeterminate sentences. (6) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 1a: Defendants given a custodial sentence and the sentence length breakdown at all courts for burglary in a dwelling offences(1), England and Wales, 1994 to 2011(2, 3) 
			 Number 
			  1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
			 Immediate custody 8,398 9,061 9,419 10,234 10,124 10,092 9,490 8,473 8,875 
			           
			 One month and under 91 120 97 98 89 73 61 71 50 
			 Over one month and up to and including two months 278 307 290 243 229 219 130 116 94 
			 Over two months and up to and including three months 721 719 621 486 450 405 242 146 166 
			 Over three months and up to and including six months 1,995 2,014 1,714 1,344 1,402 1,397 1,383 1,224 1,105 
			 Over six months and up to and including one year 2,388 2,353 2,146 2,217 2,188 2,165 2,097 1,741 1,763 
			 Over one year up to and including two years 2,211 2,646 3,020 3,708 3,722 3,704 3,417 2,953 3,115 
			 Over two years up to and including five years 663 854 1,462 2,029 1,958 2,023 2,077 2,123 2,426 
			 Over five years 51 48 69 109 86 106 83 99 156 
		
	
	
		
			 Number 
			  2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008(4) 2009 2010 2011 
			 Immediate custody 7,831 7,066 6,357 6,116 6,172 6,696 7,120 7,574 8,261 
			 One month and under 47 58 63 55 78 69 36 39 47 
			 Over one month and up to and including two months 110 92 87 98 105 133 123 117 137 
			 Over two months and up to and including three months 207 191 159 149 165 168 177 177 207 
			 Over three months and up to and including six months 1,097 981 948 982 1,000 952 813 821 775 
		
	
	
		
			 Over six months and up to and including one year 1,424 1,338 1,179 1,112 1,201 1,301 1,498 1,587 1,754 
			 Over one year up to and including two years 2,536 2,065 1,803 1,672 1,626 1,669 1,920 2,074 2,234 
			 Over two years up to and including five years 2,294 2,215 1,997 1,932 1,861 2,231 2,386 2,557 2,851 
			 Over five years 116 126 121 116 136 173 167 202 256 
			 (1 )Includes offences under sections 9 and 10 of the Theft Act 1968: Burglary in a dwelling with intent to commit an offence; Burglary in a dwelling with violence or the threat of violence; Other burglary in a dwelling; Aggravated burglary in a dwelling (including attempts). (2) The figures on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (4) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Defendants found guilty for offences relating to burglary in a dwelling, by age group, England and Wales, 1994 to 2011(1, 2) 
			 Number 
			 Age group 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
			 Under 18 4,710 4,848 4,572 4,700 4,750 4,188 3,620 3,313 3,369 
			 18 to 21 5,692 5,355 4,863 4,930 4,733 4,543 3,863 3,491 3,396 
			 22 to 25 3,520 3,468 3,230 3,362 2,942 2,948 2,502 2,432 2,624 
			 26 to 35 3,654 3,634 3,501 3,851 3,826 3,612 3,485 3,401 3,940 
			 36 to 50 859 820 823 943 960 994 943 973 1,213 
			 51 to 65 82 112 71 80 89 91 54 69 77 
			 66 and over 5 8 4 4 6 11 4 5 3 
			 Total 18,522 18,245 17,064 17,870 17,306 16,387 14,471 13,684 14,622 
			 Average age 22.3 22.3 22.4 22.6 22.6 22.8 23.1 23.3 23.9 
		
	
	
		
			 Number 
			 Age group 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008(3) 2009 2010 2011 
			 Under 18 3,199 3,323 3,422 3,364 3,473 3,273 3,385 3,362 3,005 
			 18 to 21 3,059 2,818 2,566 2,629 2,941 3,046 3,247 3,566 3,611 
			 22 to 25 2,730 2,241 1,977 1,917 1,900 2,010 1,925 2,074 2,177 
			 26 to 35 4,128 3,628 3,284 3,054 3,244 3,352 3,095 3,291 3,515 
			 36 to 50 1,344 1,400 1,472 1,398 1,479 1,692 1,578 1,842 1,995 
			 51 to 65 73 92 96 77 92 95 119 153 142 
			 66 and over 7 1 3 3 9 3 6 8 5 
			 Total 14,540 13,503 12,820 12,442 13,138 13,471 13,355 14,296 14,450 
			 Average age 24.4 24.3 24.3 24.1 24.2 24.6 24.3 24.7 25.2 
			 (1) The figures relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 3: Persons sentenced to sentences of imprisonment for public protection at all courts by offence group(1, 2), 2009 to 2011, England and Wales 
			 Number 
			 Offence group 2009 2010 2011 
			 Violence against the person 357 394 281 
			 Sexual offences 298 328 300 
			 Burglary 25 30 25 
			 Robbery 213 162 133 
			 Theft and handling stolen goods — 3 2 
			 Fraud and forgery — — — 
			 Criminal damage 54 44 48 
			 Drug offences — 1 — 
			 Other (excluding motoring offences) 54 57 30 
		
	
	
		
			 Indictable motoring offences — — — 
			     
			 All indictable offences 1,001 1,019 819 
			 (1) The figures relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice.

Burglary: Crimes of Violence

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many reported burglaries involved violence against a home owner in the last five years;
	(2)  how many reported burglaries involved violence against the burglar in each of the last five years.

Jeremy Browne: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Home Department.
	This information is not collected centrally.

Fraud: Social Security Benefits

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people convicted of benefit fraud were given a custodial sentence in the last five years.

Jeremy Wright: The number of defendants sentenced to immediate custody at all courts for offences relating to benefit fraud in England and Wales from 2007 to 2011 can be viewed in the following table:
	
		
			 Defendants sentenced to immediate custody at all courts for benefit fraud offences under the Social Security Administration Act 1992(1), England and Wales, 2007-11(2, 3) 
			  Number 
			 2007 200 
			 2008(4) 264 
			 2009 308 
			 2010 209 
			 2011 284 
			 (1) Includes offences under Social Security Administration Act 1992 as added by the Social Security Administration (Fraud) Act 1997, sections 111A and 112. (2) The figures relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (4) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice.

Fraud: Welfare Tax Credits

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many convictions for tax credit fraud there have been in each of the last five years.

Jeremy Wright: Information held centrally on the Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database does not include the circumstances behind each case beyond the description provided in the statute. It is not possible to separately identify from this centrally held information those specific offences related to tax credit fraud.

Homicide: Sentencing

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average period of time served by people released from prison having served a sentence for murder was in the last 12 months.

Jeremy Wright: In 2011, 160 prisoners serving a mandatory life sentence for murder were released from custody on life licence; they had served an average of 16 years in custody. These figures are published annually in the Offender Management Statistics annual tables, most recently for 2011. The 2012 figures will be published in April 2013.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Protection from Enforced Disappearance

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what his Department's most recent assessment is of whether the UK would enter any reservations or declarations were it to sign and ratify the UN International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances;
	(2)  has updated its assessment of whether any new criminal offences would need to be introduced were the UK to sign and ratify the UN International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances;
	(3)  has updated its assessment of the extent to which common-law provisions would need to be replicated in statute law were the UK to sign and ratify the UN International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances;
	(4)  whether he plans to set a timetable for signing and ratifying the UN International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances.

Damian Green: The Government support the aims of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. However, it is the general practice of the UK not to sign a treaty unless the Government are confident that domestic legislation, policies and practices comply with their requirements, thereby allowing the UK to complete ratification soon after signature.
	Following an initial assessment of the practical implications of implementing the convention, we have identified areas of domestic law and operational policy that would need to change if the UK is to comply with the convention requirements. This is likely to include the creation of a separate criminal offence.
	The UK Government have made it clear in their formal response to the recommendations they received at their recent UN Universal Periodic Review that they are committed to making further progress on ratification by the time of our mid-term progress report under this mechanism, which is due in 2014. The ongoing analysis work, therefore, will include an assessment of the extent to which common-law provisions would need to be replicated in statute law to enable the UK to ratify the convention.
	The UK is keen to move towards signature and ratification of the convention, but the size of this undertaking will require considerable resources and parliamentary time. It would therefore not be appropriate to set a timetable for ratification at this stage.

Legal Aid Scheme

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many families will no longer qualify for legal aid following implementation of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.

Jeremy Wright: The Legal Services Commission's data do not allow an estimate of the number of families that will no longer qualify for legal aid following the implementation of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.
	However, as set out in the Royal Assent impact assessments, we estimate that 'Legal Help' (initial advice and assistance) case volumes will fall by 585,000 and, of those who go on to receive legal representation, volumes will fall by approximately 38,000. Of these, we estimate a reduction of 200,000 cases in family law Legal Help, and the number of cases that also qualify for legal representation to reduce by around 32,500.

Legal Aid Scheme

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the (a) ages, (b) family status and (c) ethnicity of claimants of legal aid for matters related to personal financial difficulties was in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) is responsible for the operational delivery of legal aid and is able to provide the following information.
	The data provided show cases in the LSC's ‘Debt’ category of law, which covers civil legal aid for matters primarily related to personal financial difficulties.
	
		
			 Volumes by age bands(1) 
			 Age range 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Unknown 48,602 0 0 0 0 
			 Under 18 163 337 325 201 121 
		
	
	
		
			 18 to 25 657 2,716 4,619 5,390 6,308 
			 26 to 35 9,663 22,159 24,840 21,469 17,547 
			 36 to 45 11,200 24,862 26,793 22,484 18,257 
			 46 to 55 11,673 25,943 27,198 22,877 18,669 
			 56 to 65 7,227 15,530 15,424 12,906 10,350 
			 65+ 4,410 8,743 7,814 5,992 4,228 
			 Total 93,595 100,290 107,013 91,319 75,480 
			 (1) Please note age only started being recorded from October 2007 for the legal help scheme 
		
	
	
		
			 Volumes by marriage status(1) 
			 Marriage status 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Cohabit 13 9 12 11 11 
			 Divorced 58 65 70 43 41 
			 Married 91 99 102 65 68 
			 Separate 44 44 40 39 21 
			 Single 107 128 142 97 98 
			 Unknown 29 28 24 18 7 
			 Widowed 20 25 17 20 10 
			 Total 362 398 407 293 256 
			 (1) Please note marital status is only recorded for the civil representation scheme. 
		
	
	
		
			 Volumes by ethnicity 
			 Ethnicity 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Asian or Asian British Other 639 811 916 818 679 
			 Bangladeshi 1,015 1,212 1,244 983 825 
			 Black (African) 2,285 2,857 3,066 2,895 2,829 
			 Black (Caribbean) 2,004 2,546 2,751 2,380 2,227 
			 Black (Other) 424 548 671 545 436 
			 Chinese 125 104 108 98 88 
			 Indian 1,010 1,080 1,106 870 696 
			 Mixed Other 209 285 334 275 262 
			 Mixed White and Asian 130 175 175 126 146 
			 Mixed White and Black African 185 255 293 280 221 
			 Mixed White and Black Caribbean 457 546 619 593 521 
			 Other 1,868 1,903 2,475 2,222 1,580 
			 Pakistani 1,282 1,523 1,462 1,189 1,096 
			 Unknown 3,208 3,052 3,627 3,215 2,670 
			 White British 76,616 80,804 85,008 72,245 58,724 
			 White Irish 524 667 663 501 425 
			 White Other 1,614 1,922 2,495 2,084 2,055 
			 Total 93,595 100,290 107,013 91,319 75,480

Police Cautions

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cautions have been administered to adults in (a) Wrexham constituency, (b) Wales and (c) England in each of the last five years.

Jeremy Wright: The numbers of cautions issued for all offences in England and Wales and the North Wales police force area, from 2007 to 2011 can be viewed in the following table.
	Cautions data are not available at parliamentary constituency level and data for the North Wales police force area have been given in lieu.
	
		
			 Number of cautions issued for all offences within England and Wales and the North Wales police force area, 2007-11(1,2) 
			 Area 2007 2008(3) 2009 2010 2011 
			 England and Wales 362,889 327,888 290,645 242,831 232,186 
			       
			 England 344,890 309,860 272,742 229,623 218,887 
			 Wales 17,999 18,028 17,903 13,208 13,299 
			 Of which:      
			 North Wales police force area 2,239 3,604 3,303 2,623 2,605 
			 (1) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (2)The cautions statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When an offender has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time the principal offence is the more serious offence. From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and warnings. These figures have been included in the totals. (3) Data have been revised post publication. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice.

Prisons: Contracts for Services

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  whether he plans to review the procurement of (a) the market testing of public sector prisons and (b) other departmental contracts given the issues with the West Coast Train Franchise tendering process;
	(2)  whether he plans to await the outcome of the Department of Transport's review of the West Coast Train Franchise tendering process before any further market testing of prisons takes place.

Jeremy Wright: The Secretary of State has reviewed the evaluation process and recommendation for stage 1 of phase 2 of the prisons competition programme. He is content that the evaluation process was robust. He plans to make an announcement shortly.
	In relation to other departmental contracts, he is also satisfied that the tendering processes are robust.

Prisons: Contracts for Services

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he has put in place to enable proper assessment and costing of risk under the public sector prisons procurement process.

Jeremy Wright: The prisons competition programme employs robust risk management processes and techniques as part of its overall programme management disciplines. Risks are identified, quantified and plans put in place to mitigate and manage risks.

Prisons: Contracts for Services

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much has been spent on the public sector prisons market testing process (PCP2) to date; what the estimated total cost is by the end of the process; and whether that cost will be included in assessing the overall value for money of the PCP2 contracts.

Jeremy Wright: The PCP2 competition process since July 2011 has incurred £3.5 million of expenditure as at the end of September 2012. The current estimate for the total cost for the tendering, evaluation, mobilisation and transition of prisons in PCP2 is £10.7 million. The final cost will depend on the actual outcomes of the competition.
	The costs of running the competition process are included in the financial analysis to establish the overall value for money of the contracts, in accordance with HM Treasury's Green Book—Appraisal and Evaluation in Central Government.

Prisons: Private Sector

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will order an independent review of the involvement of the private sector in the prison system.

Jeremy Wright: No. I refer the hon. Member to our statement of intent in the Competition Strategy for Offender Services, which we published on 13 July 2011:
	“20. Developing a diverse market of potential providers of Offender services is vital to improving our outcomes. The market must be capable of attracting sustained investment and properly incentivising providers to drive efficiency and innovation. Government has a key role in promoting a functioning market which recognises the different strengths of different providers, whether they are from the public, private or voluntary and community sector.” (page 11).

Prosecutions

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases have been prosecuted in (a) Wrexham Magistrates Court, (b) Wales and (c) England in each of the last five years.

Jeremy Wright: The numbers of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts in the Wrexham Maelor local justice area, in Wales, and in England from 2007 to 2011 can be viewed in the following table:
	
		
			 Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts, for all offences, within Wrexham Maelor local justice area, England and Wales, 2007-11(1, 2) 
			 Area 2007 2008(3) 2009 2010 2011 
			 England and Wales 1,732,506 1,640,023 1,694,410 1,653,190 1,558,965 
			       
			 England 1,621,436 1,547,699 1,591,399 1,552,380 1,462,775 
			 Wales 111,070 92,324 103,011 100,810 96,190 
			 Of which:      
			 Wrexham Maelor local justice area 5,682 5,648 5,769 5,376 4,367 
			 (1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice.

Training

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 15 October 2012, Official Report, column 127W, on training, what the cost was of the training; which company provided the training; and which Ministers received the training.

Helen Grant: The total cost of the training was £3,000. It was provided by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations on 19 July 2010. It was attended by Lord McNally, Crispin Blunt and Jonathan Djanogly. The in-house training was provided to Crispin Blunt, Jeremy Wright and Helen Grant at no cost.
	There is a high level of interest in the work of the Ministry of Justice and it is right that the public know and understand the work of the Department. The training was designed to aid Ministers so they are able to clearly communicate to the public the work of the Ministry of Justice and the reforms that are being undertaken across our policy areas.

Young Offenders: Domestic Violence

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what support his Department provides to juvenile offenders who have experienced domestic violence.

Jeremy Wright: The Government have recently announced their intention to extend the definition of domestic violence from March next year to include 16 and 17-year-olds. This aims to increase referrals to domestic violence support services for young people identified as experiencing domestic violence. Under existing procedures, youth offending teams will refer juvenile offenders identified as having experienced domestic violence to social services under safeguarding provisions.

Young Offenders: Prisoners’ Release

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many prisoners have not had their home detention curfew application reviewed by the board within two weeks of their eligibility date in each young offenders institution in England and Wales in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many prisoners were past their eligibility date by the time their home detention curfew application was considered in each young offender institution in England and Wales in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jeremy Wright: It is not possible to answer either of these questions directly because the Ministry of Justice does not collect data on the assessments conducted under the home detention curfew (HDC) scheme. Data on the releases made under the scheme are collected and published regularly in the Offender Management Caseload Statistics on the Justice website:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/prisons-and-probation
	The following table gives the rate of release for offenders aged 18 to 20 (the age of offenders in young offender institutions) and for all other age groups. It shows the same rate of release for each group. Where a prisoner is eligible and suitable for release on HDC, the aim is always to release on or as soon after the HDC eligibility date as possible, but no release may take place until the risk and suitability assessment procedures have been completed in full.
	
		
			 Home detention curfew release for offenders, England and Wales 2011 
			 Age group Eligible for release Released Release rate (%) 
			 Aged 18-20 5,301 1,592 30 
		
	
	
		
			 Other age groups 37,519 11,135 30 
			 All ages 42,820 12,727 30 
			 Note: These statistics are based on information recorded on the central prison IT system at 29 February 2012. Data sources and quality: These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Defibrillators

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in what proportion of workplaces automated external defibrillators are available.

Mark Hoban: HSE does not hold any data on the proportion of workplaces where AEDs are available.

Defibrillators

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to encourage employers to increase the provision of automated external defibrillators in the workplace.

Mark Hoban: Provision of automated external defibrillators (AED) is not legally required. The Health and Safety Executive's website does however provide guidance on first aid need assessments and these can indicate circumstances where AEDs could be of benefit.

Families

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of families in the UK with four or more children in each parliamentary constituency.

David Gauke: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Treasury.
	Small sample sizes for families with four or more children mean that data cannot be provided for all parliamentary constituencies.

New Enterprise Allowance

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people who will benefit from the new enterprise allowance scheme in the next 12 months.

Mark Hoban: We expect that approximately 45,000 NEA mentoring places will be filled across Great Britain in the next 12 months.

New Enterprise Allowance

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have received the new enterprise allowance, by parliamentary constituency, in the last 12 months.

Mark Hoban: We will be placing a copy of the number of new enterprise allowance mentor and weekly allowance starts in the Library for the last year up to and including May 2012.

Occupational Pensions

Jonathan Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress he is making with his plans for the automated transfer of pensions from one employer to the next; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: We have been working closely with interested parties to develop options on how a model of automatic transfers to a new employer's scheme might work in practice. This has included workshops with consumer, provider and employer representatives.
	We have recently published further analysis—‘Automatic pension transfers: estimated impacts under different pot size limits’, available on the DWP website at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=adhoc_analysis
	which shows that for any given pot size limit, automatic transfers to a new employer's scheme are estimated to achieve more consolidation and administrative efficiencies than an aggregator scheme.
	We are continuing to make good progress on bringing forward primary legislation to allow automatic transfers to take place, and we aim to introduce this legislation as soon as practicable.

Pensioners: British Nationals Abroad

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 4 July 2012, Official Report, column 667W, on pensioners: British nationals abroad, what progress his Department has made in investigating the availability of data determining the cost of the number of pensioners returning to the UK over the last five years from countries where they are in receipt of frozen UK pensions.

Steve Webb: It has been established that there are insufficient data to provide such an estimate.

Pensions

Jonathan Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has had discussions with representatives of the pensions industry on proposals to allow parents and grandparents to use their pension lump sum to guarantee a mortgage for their children and grandchildren; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: Initial discussions have been held with representatives of the pensions industry. Further work will be required with both the pensions industry and mortgage lenders to work through the details of the proposals.

Pensions

Jonathan Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has had discussions with providers of private pensions and investments on the implementation of a common format for expressing the charges attached to consumer portfolios; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: It is important that providers of private pensions ensure their charges are transparent and value for money. People need to see what is being charged and why, and in a language they understand. I have consistently made this clear in my interactions with the industry on this subject.
	My officials have engaged with the efforts of an industry-wide working group led by the National Association of Pension Funds on the development of a charges Code of Conduct to enable employers to make informed choices about which pension scheme to use for automatic enrolment. The code will ensure that charges are presented to employers in a consistent way, helping them to understand the impact charges may have on the pension pots of their employees and which charges employers will have to pay themselves. Our aim is to also work with the ABI on its proposals for the industry to provide clearer information on charges and costs to scheme members. We welcome both these initiatives as a positive step towards pension providers improving their service to members.
	My Department has also published guidance on default funds for defined contribution automatic enrolment schemes, including disclosing a breakdown of the overall charges and making clear the effect the charges will have on member outcomes:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/def-opt-guid.pdf

Pensions

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of people in work not saving for a pension in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire, (c) the East Midlands and (d) England.

Steve Webb: The information is not available in the format requested.
	What is available can be found in the following table:
	
		
			 Working age employees not contributing into a workplace pension scheme 
			 Region Employees (thousands) 
			 England 11,416 
			 East Midlands 997 
			 Note: Working age is defined as 16-70 year olds. Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2011, Office for National Statistics.

Personal Independence Payment

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place a copy of the Atos Risk Management Plan for Lots 1 and 3 of the personal independence payment contracts in the Library.

Esther McVey: The Risk Management Plan (suitably redacted) will be placed in the DWP Library and on Contracts Finder by the end of October.

Personal Independence Payment

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress his Department has made on ensuring that the assessments for personal independence payment will be available in the Welsh language.

Esther McVey: Assessments for personal independence payment will comply with the Department of Work and Pensions's obligations under the Welsh Language Act (1993). All materials relating to the assessment process will be available in Welsh and the assessment itself can be carried out by a Welsh speaker, if requested.

Personal Independence Payment

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of disability living allowance middle-rate claimants who will lose entitlement under the proposed eligibility criteria for personal independence payments; and if he will make a statement;

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the number of motability vehicles that will be repossessed in (a) Glasgow North West constituency, (b) Glasgow, (c) Scotland and (d) the UK as a result of the introduction of personal independence payments.

Esther McVey: Personal independence payment: “Assessment Thresholds and Consultation” was published in January 2012. It included early estimates on the likely PIP benefit caseload in 2015/16, compared with the likely working age DLA caseload if the new benefit is not introduced. These estimates, which were based on the second draft of the assessment criteria, have been broken down by each of the rate combinations in the benefits. The assessment criteria for PIP are still being finalised. A Government response to the consultation and a final draft of the criteria will be published later this year.
	We are continuing to work closely with Motability to understand what impact personal independence payment might have on its customer numbers and to ensure it is well placed to manage the introduction of the new benefit.

Personal Independence Payment

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to ensure that claimants of disability living allowance (DLA) who will no longer be eligible under personal independence payments will be given adequate notice before their DLA is stopped.

Esther McVey: Once a decision has been reached on a claim to personal independence payment it will be communicated to the claimant and the notification will clearly state when their DLA will end and the date from which personal independence payments will commence, or the reason for disallowance.
	If entitlement has been established, payment of personal independence payment will begin shortly after the decision notice is sent. Payment of DLA will end the day before payment of personal independence payment begins ensuring there will be no break. Where entitlement to personal independence payment has not been established the DLA will stop shortly after the decision notice has been sent.
	There is no right of appeal in respect of the ending of DLA. The claimant will however have dispute rights against the personal independence payment decision.

Remploy: Barrow in Furness

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress he has made towards achieving a long-term and sustainable future for the Barrow-in-Furness Remploy factory and its employees; and by what date a decision on the factory's future will be made.

Esther McVey: Remploy's process for divesting factory operations aims to preserve jobs for disabled people wherever this is commercially viable.
	Following assessment of the best and final offers it received for its Barrow factory, Remploy has now appointed Nationwide Filter Company Ltd as the preferred bidder for this business, and has started due diligence and further negotiation with the company. Remploy aims to complete these negotiations and support the exit of this business within the next few weeks.

Scotland

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spends annually on (a) Jobcentre Plus functions, (b) the Work programme and (c) other skills and employability programmes in Scotland.

Mark Hoban: In the year 2011-12 the Department spent the following amounts in Scotland.
	
		
			 Functions 2011-12 annual spend (£ million) 
			 Jobcentre Plus 98.5 
			 Other skills and employment programmes 44 
			 Note: The Work programme commenced in June 2011 with a budget across SR10 of around £2 billion. Actual expenditure on the Work programme is due to be published in late November 2012. Source: Internal Management Accounts

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of how many recipients of (a) employment and support allowance, (b) carer's allowance and (c) maternity allowance will have their benefit reduced as a result of the introduction of the benefit cap in April 2013.

Mark Hoban: Of those who may see their benefits reduced when the benefit cap is introduced in April 2013, approximately 14,200 households may be in receipt of employment and support allowance (ESA). This figure relates to those in the work-related group as those on the support element of ESA are exempt from the benefit cap. Around 5,200 may be in receipt of carer's allowance. Less than 100 households may be in receipt of maternity allowance.
	The figures presented above are consistent with the recent impact assessment published on 16 July 2012. This assumes that the situation of these households will go unchanged, and they will not take any steps to either work enough hours to qualify for working tax credit, renegotiate their rent in situ, or find alternative accommodation. In all cases the Department is working to support households through this transition, using existing provision through Jobcentre Plus and the Work programme to move as many into work as possible. Therefore, please note that these figures are subject to change prior to the policy being implemented in April 2013.

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to offer any assistance to Work programme participants whose benefit is reduced through application of the benefit cap in April 2013.

Mark Hoban: Jobcentre Plus is offering additional support for all those likely to be affected by the benefit cap. Although they are not offering specific support to those participants already on the Work programme (WP) whose benefit is reduced through application of the benefit cap in April 2013, early access to the WP will be offered where appropriate to those who might be capped. Financially, DWP are adding up to £75 million to the discretionary housing payment (DHP) budget next year and up to £45 million the following year which WP participants could claim from up to other capped claimants. Child care and other support could be provided if the participant found work.

Social Security Benefits

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many parents with three or more children claimed (a) jobseeker's allowance, (b) income support and (c) employment and support allowance in the latest period for which figures are available; and how much he expects will be spent from the public purse on these benefits in each of the next three years.

Mark Hoban: Information on the number of out-of- work benefit claimant households in Great Britain, who also claim child benefit, by number of children and benefit type for May 2011 has been released under the Freedom of Information Act and can be found at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/PQ_FOI/index.php?page=foi
	Forecast expenditure data for jobseeker's allowance, income support and employment and support allowance can be found at (forecasts of benefit expenditure are not available by size of family):
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/index.php?page=expenditure

Social Security Benefits

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many of the households estimated to be affected by the introduction of the household benefit cap from 1 April 2013 are in temporary accommodation after having been found to be homeless and in priority need.

Mark Hoban: This information is not available.

State Retirement Pensions

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average level of basic British state pension is received by people residing in (a) Australia, (b) Canada and (c) New Zealand.

Steve Webb: Statistics on state pensioners residing abroad by weekly average amounts payable are available on the Department's website at:
	http://83.244.183.180/100pc/sp/cccountry/ccsex/a_cawklyamt_r_cccountry_c_ccsex_feb12.html
	Please note:
	Amounts quoted are for the total amount of state pension in payment which can comprise the following components: basic pension; additional pension and graduated retirement benefit.

Universal Credit

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the number of working families in Ashfield whose net benefit income will decrease on the introduction of universal credit.

Mark Hoban: The information requested is not available at this level.
	Once fully implemented it is expected that overall individuals will benefit from universal credit by the equivalent benefit expenditure rise of around £2 billion.
	The impact assessment states that in Great Britain around 2.8 million households will have higher entitlements under universal credit.
	Around 2 million households will have lower entitlements under universal credit.
	However it is important to recognise that a package of transitional protection is being developed in order to ensure that there will be no cash losers as a direct result of the move to universal credit where circumstances remain the same.

Universal Credit: Greater London

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how he will determine the level of funding to be made available to each local authority in London to cover the management costs of temporary accommodation that will not be included within universal credit.

Steve Webb: As recently announced, the treatment of temporary accommodation claimants in housing benefit will remain as now until they migrate to universal credit.
	When claimants migrate to universal credit, the rental element in all cases will be based on local housing allowance rates, with a separate management payment funded through additions to the discretionary housing payments budget of local authorities. We are currently developing the arrangements for allocating these management payments.
	The reforms to temporary accommodation are designed to be cost neutral, with the level of funding broadly in line with current levels.
	Allocating the management payments through discretionary housing payments is an interim measure. We shall work with stakeholders to develop a more permanent solution.
	A further announcement will be made once this work has been completed.

Welfare Assistance Scheme

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what advice and guidance his Department will supply to customers on changes to the arrangements for introduction of the welfare assistance scheme; and what estimate he has made of the cost of providing such advice for each of the next three years.

Steve Webb: We are working very closely with English local authorities and the devolved nations of Scotland and Wales to support them in delivering their schemes and so that claimants can get timely access to the support available from both the Department and the new provision in their communities. This includes communications to claimants. My Department will be supplying no guidance.
	There are some minimal costs associated with this in 2013-14. From 2014 this activity will be part of business as usual.

Work Capability Assessment: South West

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Cornwall and (b) the Isles of Scilly were deemed fit to work following a work capability assessment in the last (i) year, (ii) six months and (iii) month.

Mark Hoban: The following table shows the number of people making a new claim to ESA who were found fit for work following an initial work capability assessment in (a) Cornwall and (b) Isles of Scilly. The information is provided for (i) March 2011 to February 2012, (ii) September 2011 to February 2012 and (iii) February 2012. This presents the latest available information.
	
		
			 Fit for work outcomes in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly for initial work capability assessments that took place (i) between March 2011 and February 2012, (ii) between September 2011 and February 2012 and (iii) in February 2012 
			 Month of assessment Cornwall Isles of Scilly 
			 March 2011-February 2012 930 — 
			 September 2011-February 2012 320 — 
			 February 2012 90 — 
			 “—” = Nil or negligible Notes: 1. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. 2. The above figures are for initial ESA assessments only.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what changes he has made to the attachment fees payable in each of the Work programme's first three years since the inception of that programme; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: Attachment fees remain unchanged at 100% of the rate in year one; 75% of the rate for year two; 50% of the rate for year three and are nil rated for the rest of the contract. DWP has aligned the attachment rate to be paid to Work programme providers to the actual go-live date. For example, year one attachment rates have been paid from 1 June 2011 to 31 May 2012 to align with contract dates.

CABINET OFFICE

Charities

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many faith-based organisations have had their charitable status revoked by reason of the removal of presumption of public benefit by the Charities Act 2006 in the last 12 months.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Charity Commission. I have asked the Commission's chief executive to reply.
	Letter from Sam Younger, dated 19 October 2012
	I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question on how many faith-based organisations have had their charitable status revoked by reason of the removal of presumption of public benefit by the Charities Act 2006 in the last 12 months (124524).
	No faith-based organisations have had their charitable status revoked in the past 12 months by reason of the removal of presumption of public benefit by the Charities Act 2006.
	The Charity Commission is the regulator and registrar of charities in England and Wales. Charities in Northern Ireland and Scotland are regulated by the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland and the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator respectively.

Crimes of Violence

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the rate of violent crime is in (a) the police force with the worst figures in the country, (b) the police force with the best figures in the country and (c) Northamptonshire.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking for statistics on violent crime in the police force with the worst figures in the country, the police force with the best figures in the country and in Northamptonshire. (123268)
	There are two main sources of statistics on violent crime: the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) and the police recorded crime series. The CSEW is the best guide to trends in violent crime at a national level since it includes crimes that have not been reported to the police. It has also been conducted using a consistent methodology over time and unaffected by changes in reporting rates or police recording practices. However, the sample is not large enough to provide estimates of violent crime at police force area level.
	The police recorded crime series is the primary source for local-level crime statistics and the latest published data for 2011/12 shows:
	a) the Metropolitan police force area had the highest rate of violence against the person offences, at 19.7 per 1,000 people
	b) Northumbria police force area had the lowest rate, at 9.0 per 1,000 people
	c) Northamptonshire police force area had a rate of 15.1 per 1,000 people.
	These figures can be compared with an average of 13.8 crimes per 1,000 people for England and Wales. Police force area rates will be affected by the size of the resident population relative to the transient or visiting populations and may therefore over state the rate of crime in areas, such as London, with a high volume of day-time visitors. As the tables are large, they will be included in the House of Commons library.
	
		
			 Table P3: Police recorded offences by offence group, by police force area, English regions and Wales, 2011-12 
			 Rates per 1,000 population(1, 2) 
			  Total Violence against the person Sexual offences Robbery Burglary Offences against vehicles(3) 
			        
			 Cleveland 77 15 1 0 9 6 
			 Durham 58 10 1 0 8 6 
			 Northumbria 53 9 1 0 6 4 
			 North East Region 59 10 1 0 7 5 
			 Cheshire 59 11 1 0 8 5 
			 Cumbria 53 13 1 0 4 3 
			 Greater Manchester 79 15 1 2 12 8 
			 Lancashire 68 15 1 0 8 6 
			 Merseyside 71 10 1 1 10 6 
			 North West Region 71 13 1 1 9 7 
			 Humberside 78 15 1 1 12 6 
			 North Yorkshire 48 9 1 0 6 4 
			 South Yorkshire 76 10 1 1 13 9 
			 West Yorkshire 82 12 1 1 15 10 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Region 75 12 1 1 12 8 
			 Derbyshire 61 13 1 1 8 6 
			 Leicestershire 69 14 1 1 8 7 
			 Lincolnshire 63 11 1 0 9 5 
			 Northamptonshire 72 15 1 1 9 7 
			 Nottinghamshire 71 14 1 1 9 7 
			 East Midlands Region 67 13 1 1 9 6 
			 Staffordshire 61 14 1 0 7 5 
			 Warwickshire 63 10 1 1 10 8 
			 West Mercia 58 12 1 0 7 6 
			 West Midlands 73 13 1 3 11 9 
			 West Midlands Region 66 13 1 2 9 8 
			 Bedfordshire 66 13 1 1 9 8 
			 Cambridgeshire 65 12 1 1 8 6 
			 Essex 60 12 1 1 8 7 
			 Hertfordshire 56 10 1 1 6 6 
			 Norfolk 49 11 1 0 5 4 
			 Suffolk 63 14 1 0 7 6 
			 East of England Region 60 12 1 1 7 6 
			 London, City of(4) + + + + + + 
			 Metropolitan Police 104 20 1 5 12 13 
			 London Region 105 20 1 5 12 13 
			 Hampshire 69 16 1 1 7 6 
			 Kent 60 12 1 1 7 6 
			 Surrey 55 11 1 0 7 6 
			 Sussex 61 11 1 0 6 6 
			 Thames Valley 66 12 1 1 8 7 
			 South East Region 63 13 1 1 7 6 
			 Avon and Somerset 71 15 1 1 8 6 
			 Devon and Cornwall 55 13 1 0 6 4 
			 Dorset 63 12 1 0 8 6 
			 Gloucestershire 58 10 1 0 10 7 
			 Wiltshire 54 10 1 0 7 6 
			 South West Region 61 13 1 0 7 6 
			 England 71 14 1 1 9 8 
			 Dyfed-Powys 42 10 1 0 3 2 
			 Gwent 69 13 1 0 9 8 
			 North Wales 64 16 1 0 8 4 
			 South Wales 69 13 1 0 8 8 
			 Wales 63 13 1 0 8 6 
			        
			 England and Wales(5) 72 14 1 1 9 8 
		
	
	
		
			 Rates per 1,000 population(1, 2) 
			  Other theft offences Fraud and forgery Criminal damage Drug offences Other offences 
			 Cleveland 23 1 17 4 1 
			 Durham 16 1 13 2 1 
		
	
	
		
			 Northumbria 15 1 11 4 1 
			 North East Region 17 1 12 3 1 
			 Cheshire 17 2 11 3 1 
			 Cumbria 13 1 13 4 1 
			 Greater Manchester 19 3 14 4 1 
			 Lancashire 19 2 13 3 1 
			 Merseyside 17 2 13 9 1 
			 North West Region 18 2 13 5 1 
			 Humberside 22 2 14 3 1 
			 North Yorkshire 15 1 8 3 1 
			 South Yorkshire 22 2 15 4 1 
			 West Yorkshire 23 2 13 3 1 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Region 21 2 13 3 1 
			 Derbyshire 16 2 11 3 1 
			 Leicestershire 19 3 12 3 1 
			 Lincolnshire 20 2 12 2 1 
			 Northamptonshire 19 3 13 3 1 
			 Nottinghamshire 20 2 13 3 1 
			 East Midlands Region 19 2 12 3 1 
			 Staffordshire 15 2 12 3 1 
			 Warwickshire 18 2 10 2 1 
			 West Mercia 16 2 10 3 1 
			 West Midlands 16 3 12 3 1 
			 West Midlands Region 16 3 11 3 1 
			 Bedfordshire 17 2 11 3 1 
			 Cambridgeshire 21 2 10 4 1 
			 Essex 16 2 10 2 1 
			 Hertfordshire 15 3 9 5 1 
			 Norfolk 14 1 10 3 1 
			 Suffolk 17 2 12 2 1 
			 East of England Region 16 2 10 3 1 
			 London, City of(4) + + + + + 
			 Metropolitan Police 29 5 9 8 1 
			 London Region 30 5 9 8 1 
			 Hampshire 20 3 12 3 1 
			 Kent 17 2 12 2 1 
			 Surrey 14 3 10 3 1 
			 Sussex 19 2 11 3 1 
			 Thames Valley 21 3 10 3 1 
			 South East Region 19 3 11 3 1 
			 Avon and Somerset 20 2 12 4 1 
			 Devon and Cornwall 13 2 11 3 1 
			 Dorset 20 2 11 2 1 
			 Gloucestershire 16 2 10 3 1 
			 Wiltshire 16 2 10 2 1 
			 South West Region 17 2 11 3 1 
			 England 20 3 11 4 1 
			 Dyfed-Powys 9 1 8 7 1 
			 Gwent 17 2 14 5 1 
			 North Wales 16 2 13 3 1 
			 South Wales 19 2 13 5 1 
			 Wales 16 2 12 5 1 
			       
			 England and Wales(5) 20 3 11 4 1 
			 (1) The population figures used are the mid-2010 population estimates provided by the Office for National Statistics. See section 8.3 of the User Guide. (2 )Numbers will be affected by the size of the resident population relative to the transient or visiting populations and may therefore over-represent the number of crimes relative to the real population of potential victims. (3) Includes theft of motor vehicle, theft from a vehicle, aggravated vehicle taking and interfering with a motor vehicle. (4) '+' data for London Region includes the City of London. (5) Total rate for England and Wales includes offences recorded by British Transport Police. However, no rates are given for British Transport Police as their data are not provided for specified geographical areas. Source: Police recorded crime, Home Office.

Research

Chris Kelly: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what external policy research his Department has commissioned in each of the last six years; which organisation was commissioned to provide each such piece of research; and what the cost of each such piece of research was;
	(2)  what external policy research his office has commissioned in each of the last six years; which organisation was commissioned to provide each such piece of research; and what the cost of each such piece of research was.

Chloe Smith: Costs incurred from external policy research are not separately identified in the Cabinet Office accounting system.
	As part of the Government's transparency programme, details of any spend over £25,000 are published on the Department's website. Since January 2011, all contracts over £10,000 in value are published on Contracts Finder:
	http://www.contractsfinder.co.uk/

Sportsgrounds: Safety

John Mann: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many stadia evacuation procedures have been tested using people in sporting stadia in each of the last three years;
	(2)  what methodology is used for determining the safety of football and other sporting stadia under current UK disaster planning procedures.

Hugh Robertson: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
	We do not hold records relating to the number of tests of stadia evacuation procedures in each of the last three years. While the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is responsible for the Safety of Sports Grounds legislation, responsibility for the safety of spectators lies at all times with the ground's management. Responsibility for certifying and regulating those sports grounds is primarily a matter for individual local authorities.
	The “Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds”, written by the Sports Grounds Safety Authority and published by the Department, includes guidance on the importance of regular and detailed inspections and tests, as a necessary and important function of safety management. It recommends that ground management should prepare contingency plans, which include provision for the evacuation of all people in the event of an emergency from all areas of the ground to a place of safety, and that exercises to test contingency plans should be staged at least once a year in consultation with the relevant authorities and emergency services.
	Although the guide has no statutory force, many of its recommendations may be legal requirements at individual grounds through their inclusion in safety certificates issued by local authorities under the Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975 or the Fire Safety and Safety of Places of Sport Act 1987. The guide can be found at the following link:
	http://safetyatsportsgrounds.org.uk/pdf/GuidetoSafetyatSportsGrounds.pdf

Unemployment: Statistics

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether the Office for National Statistics defines people in unpaid workfare-style programmes as being employed in its Labour Market Statistics.

Nick Hurd: holding answer 22 October 2012
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking whether the Office for National Statistics defines people in unpaid workfare-style programmes as being employed in its Labour Market Statistics. (124129)
	The ONS collects information on people participating in government-supported employment and training programmes via the Labour Force Survey (LFS). The information includes the name of the programme and the type of activity being undertaken. Those participants whose activity comprises any form of work, work experience or work-related training are classified as in employment. This is regardless of whether the individual is paid or not.
	This classification is in line with recommendations set down by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), which the ONS uses in the LFS to classify individuals into different labour market statuses. Those in employment on government-supported employment and training programmes comprise one of the elements—alongside employees, the self-employed and unpaid family workers—that make up the total number in employment.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Research

Chris Kelly: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what external policy research his office has commissioned in each of the last six years; which organisation was commissioned to provide each such piece of research; and what the cost of each such piece of research was.

Chloe Smith: Costs incurred from external policy research are not separately identified in the Cabinet Office accounting system.
	As part of the Government's transparency programme, details of any spend over £25,000 are published on the Department's website. Since January 2011, all contracts over £10,000 in value are published on Contracts Finder:
	http://www.contractsfinder.co.uk/

EDUCATION

Child Care

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what capital will be made available to private, voluntary and independent childcare providers to build capacity sufficient to deliver the two-year-old offer;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the capacity of local authorities to provide sufficient childcare places to meet the demand for free early years entitlement for children aged two years;
	(3)  if he will provide support to help local authorities to increase local childcare capacity to the levels needed to deliver free early years entitlement for children aged two years.

Elizabeth Truss: Local authorities will be under a duty to secure, rather than to provide, free early education places for two-year-olds. The Government are providing funding to local authorities, rising each year to £760 million in 2014-15, to enable them to secure places for around 260,000 two-year-olds. The key to securing sufficient places will be to pay early years providers appropriate rates for places, and the Government are taking a number of steps to ensure that funding rates are set locally in a transparent way. The Government are also making available £100 million in capital funding to local authorities.

Education: Standards

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the potential effects of air pollution on educational attainment.

David Laws: We have not been able to make an assessment of the effects of air pollution on educational attainment as there are so many confounding variables; however, our guidance on the ventilation of schools reflects the assessments made by the Committee on the Medical Effects of Indoor Air pollutants(1) on the effects on health, and also the available research on the effect of ventilation on the cognitive performance of pupils. Carbon dioxide concentration has been found to be a good proxy for the effects of other air pollutants and is the basis of current standards for ventilation of schools most recently revised in July 2006(2).
	(1) COMEAP “Guidance on the Effects on Health of Indoor Air Pollutants”, December 2004
	(2) Building Bulletin 101, “Ventilation of School Buildings”, v1.4, 2006

English Baccalaureate: Special Educational Needs

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what consideration he has given to the potential effect of his proposed reforms on those children with special educational needs who were able to undertake GCSE examinations but will not be able to complete the proposed English Baccalaureate.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 18 October 2012
	We expect that everyone who now sits a GCSE should be able to take these new qualifications. Ensuring that our reforms work for pupils with special educational needs is of the upmost importance. Our consultation on English Baccalaureate Certificates, which runs to 10 December, seeks views on the potential impact of our proposals on any specific pupil groups. We will also be holding focused discussions with expert SEN groups. Consultation responses and feedback from our focused discussions will inform an equalities analysis of our proposals which we will publish after the consultation closes. Copies of the consultation have been placed in the House Libraries.

GCSE

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils in (a) England, (b) Lancashire and (c) the Hyndburn local authority area received lower grades in GCSE examinations in the summer of 2012 as a result of changes to the grades boundary made prior to the examination.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department holds information on GCSE entries and grades achieved. It does not hold information on marks awarded.

Pre-school Education

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he plans to implement the recommendation of the Nutbrown Review of early education and childcare qualifications in respect of strengthening the qualifications required for teachers of children in the early years foundation stage.

Elizabeth Truss: Professor Cathy Nutbrown published her final report—“Foundations for Quality”—on 19 June. In this, Professor Nutbrown detailed the findings from her review and made a number of recommendations. Ministers warmly welcomed Professor Nutbrown's report at the time of publication and we have been considering in full what she recommended.
	In terms of next steps, we plan to respond fully to Professor Nutbrown's report later this year.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices: North West

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many employers in (a) Denton and Reddish constituency and (b) the north-west have received payments to take on their first young apprentice under the Government's incentive scheme.

Matthew Hancock: The Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE 16-24) provides a £1,500 grant to smaller employers taking on a young apprentice aged 16 to 24. Provisional data show that between 1 February and 11 June 2012, there were 2,300 apprenticeship starts for which a payment was made through the AGE 16-24 scheme. For the north-west region this figure was 440. We do not have precise figures for the Denton and Reddish constituency.
	Information on the number of apprenticeship starts is published in a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 11 October 2012:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current/

British Antarctic Survey

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on the future work of the British Antarctic Survey; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: holding answer 19 October 2012
	There is at present no agreed plan to change the status of the British Antarctic Survey. On 7 June 2012, the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) announced that it is looking at merging the scientific and logistics management of the British Antarctic Survey and the National Oceanography Centre to form a single, integrated marine and polar research centre. An open consultation of stakeholders and staff was launched on the NERC website and closed on 10 October with 370 responses. The NERC council will reach a decision in due course, informed by the results of the consultation and other feedback.
	Any changes would have no effect on the UK's commitment to scientific excellence in Antarctica nor on the existing footprint of scientific bases and research ships in the South Atlantic. NERC has stated that the three NERC sites in Cambridge, Southampton and Liverpool will remain. The British Antarctic Survey name would be retained for activities and logistics relating to the Antarctic and South Atlantic.

British Antarctic Survey: National Oceanography Centre

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the likely effect on the international reputation of British polar research of the proposed merger of the British Antarctic Survey and the National Oceanography Centre.

David Willetts: holding answer 22 October 2012
	There is at present no agreed plan to change the status of the British Antarctic Survey. On 7 June 2012, the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) announced that it is looking at merging the scientific and logistics management of the British Antarctic Survey and the National Oceanography Centre to form a single, integrated marine and polar research centre. An open consultation of stakeholders and staff was launched on the NERC website and closed on 10 October with 370 responses. The NERC council will reach a decision in due course, informed by the results of the consultation and other feedback.
	Any changes would have no effect on the UK's commitment to scientific excellence in Antarctica nor on the existing footprint of scientific bases and research ships in the South Atlantic. The vision for the new centre is to become by 2020 a world-leading centre for integrated marine and polar science—from coast to deep ocean and from pole to pole.

Construction: Apprentices

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many companies have participated in apprenticeship schemes in the construction industry in (a) Sunderland and (b) the north-east in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many apprenticeships in the construction industry have been (a) started and (b) completed in (i) Sunderland, (b) the North East and (iii) the UK in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Matthew Hancock: Table 1 shows the provisional number of apprenticeship programme starts and achievements in Sunderland local education authority, the north-east region and England in the 2011/12 academic year (August 2011 to July 2012).
	Provisional data for the 2011/12 academic year provide an early view of performance and will change as further data returns are received from further education colleges and providers. They should not be directly compared with final year data from previous years. Figures for 2011/12 will be finalised in January 2013.
	The Department does not collect further education information relating to the devolved Administrations.
	
		
			 Table 1: Apprenticeship programme starts and achievements in the 'Construction, Planning and Built Environment' sector subject area by geography, 2011/12 (provisional) 
			  Starts Achievements 
			 Sunderland local education authority 170 130 
			 North-east region 1,790 1,220 
			 England total 22,960 13,620 
			 Notes: 1. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Geographic breakdowns are based upon the home postcode of the learner. 3. Figures are based on the geographic boundaries as of May 2010. Source: Individualised Learner Record 
		
	
	Information on the number of apprenticeship starts by geography is published in a supplementary table to a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 11 October 2012:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_supplementary_tables/Apprenticeship_sfr_supplementary_tables/
	Data are not available on the number of companies that have offered apprenticeships in the construction industry in Sunderland. Data from the published 2009 National Employer Skills Survey(1) (NESS) show that in the north-east, 10% of establishments offered apprenticeships across all sectors.
	(1) Figure 8.7, p. 215 in
	http://www.ukces.org.uk/assets/ukces/docs/publications/evidence-report-23-ness-main-report-2009.pdf
	accessed on 17 October 2012.

Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will assess whether the impact assessment in respect of the repeal of section 52 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 complies with the Government's Impact Assessment Guidance 2011.

Jo Swinson: holding answer 18 October 2012
	I confirm that the impact assessment on ‘Copyright protection for designs’ was written in accordance with the Government's impact assessment guidance.

Employee Ownership Scheme

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the employee ownership scheme he announced on 8 October 2012, whether he proposes that the plan will be restricted to UK company shares or whether foreign company shares and partnership interests will also apply.

Jo Swinson: As part of the consultation process we are seeking views on what restrictions, if any, should be attached to the issue of shares or type of shares.
	The consultation closes on 8 November 2012.

Employee Ownership Scheme

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the employee ownership scheme he announced on 8 October 2012, by what process a reasonable price in relation to the sale of shares back to an employer will be established.

Jo Swinson: Depending on the design of the forfeiture and buy-back requirements, and any tax requirements, a valuation of the shares may be needed.
	We are currently consulting on how the scheme will be implemented and how it will work in practice. The consultation closes on 8 November 2012.

Employee Ownership Scheme

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the employee ownership scheme he announced on 8 October 2012, whether employees will have the opportunity to opt out of the employee ownership scheme.

Jo Swinson: There is no opt-out of this employment status as the offer of employee owner status is discretionary and its acceptance entirely voluntary.
	We are currently consulting on how the scheme will be implemented and how it will work in practice. The consultation closes on 8 November 2012.

Flexible Working

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if his Department will encourage employers to introduce working practices such as increased flexitime to ensure that parents are able to better support their children's educational development.

Jo Swinson: I am convinced that flexible working practices have significant benefits for both employees and employers. Employees who are able to improve their work-life balance are more productive, have less sickness absence and are less likely to leave their jobs. This is true whether they are parents wanting to spend more time with their children, older workers who may wish to request changes to enable them to extend their working life and better manage their retirement, or younger workers who just have higher expectations of the work-life balance they should expect.
	There are no plans to introduce a specific right for parents to be able to better support their children's educational development. However, last year the Government consulted on the extension to the right to request flexible working to all employees in line with the coalition agreement commitment. This extension would allow all employees who want to reconcile their work responsibilities with other elements of their life to achieve a better work-life balance. It would also support parents who are often put off from asking for flexible working because they do not wish to be perceived as prioritising their caring responsibilities over work. I will announce the results of this consultation shortly.
	Alongside consulting on the legislative extension to the right to request flexible working, the Department is working with the Department for Work and Pensions to encourage employers to embrace flexible working more widely, especially when they are recruiting new employees. An employer group led by Working Families is making practical recommendations to business on how flexible working can work and how employers can design jobs flexibly and build it into an employer's recruitment practices.

Manufacturing Industries: North East

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to his Department's economic paper, “Industrial Strategy: UK Sector Analysis”, what steps he is taking to encourage chemical or pharmaceutical industries in the north-east; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: The Government recognise that chemical and pharmaceutical companies make an important contribution to the north-east region and to the UK economy as a whole.
	The Government are creating the right environment to encourage investment in businesses in these sectors through the Strategy for UK Life Sciences and initiatives like the Regional Growth Fund, Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative and the Employer Ownership Pilot that will address barriers to growth, and encourage innovation and technology commercialisation, exports, business investment, and improve skills. The two enterprise zones (EZ) in the north-east provide a supportive environment for new investments in this sector. In particular, six of the 12 Tees Valley EZ sites have been identified as suitable for companies in the chemical sector.
	Furthermore, the Department is working closely with the chemicals sector as it develops an industry-led strategy for maintaining and enhancing the competitiveness of the UK chemicals industry, which the Government will seek to support. The Department awaits the industry conclusions and recommendations.

Regional Growth Fund

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff in his Department work on delivering the Regional Growth Fund.

Michael Fallon: holding answer 22 October 2012
	As of 19 October 2012, there are 52 full-time equivalent staff working on the administration of the Regional Growth Fund (RGF).
	This RGF Secretariat comprises accountants, economists, policy and communications specialists and administrative staff.
	The RGF Secretariat also works closely and effectively with finance and policy staff in the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG): monitoring of RGF projects and programmes is led by DCLG staff across the regions.

Regional Growth Fund: East Midlands

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much of the Regional Growth Fund was made available to the east midlands in (a) Round 1 and (b) Round 2.

Michael Fallon: holding answer 22 October 2012
	Conditional allocations of £1.4 billion were made in Rounds 1 and 2 of the Regional Growth Fund. Of this, £16 million and £72 million were allocated to the east midlands in Round 1 and 2 respectively. Details of Round 3 bidders selected to go forward for due diligence and contracting were announced on 19 October.

Sunday Trading

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has received on the deregulation of Sunday trading.

Michael Fallon: Since the temporary suspension of the restrictions on the hours that large shops can open on Sundays during the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Government have received a number of representations from those both in favour and opposed to further deregulation in this area.
	The Government considered this issue as part of the Red Tape Challenge in July 2011. Around 3,000 responses were received relating specifically to Sunday trading. Those responses confirmed the strength of feeling on the subject and that opinion remains very much divided for a variety of reasons on both sides.
	The Government have no plans to change the law on Sunday trading.